COLLECTORS

The COLLECTORS project – waste COLLECTiOn systems assessed and good pRacticeS identified – focused on good practices for the collection and sorting of three waste categories: packaging and paper waste, waste electrical and electronic materials (WEEE), and construction and demolition waste (CDW).

Project co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme, 2017 - 2020.

{slider THE PROJECT}

The main objective of the COLLECTORS project was to harmonise and disclose available information on different waste collection systems; to gain better insight into the overall performance of systems; and to support decision-makers in shifting to better-performing systems. To reach this goal, COLLECTORS created an inventory of waste collection practices, assessed the performance of twelve case studies, and established implementation guidelines and policy recommendations for decision-makers.

{slider ACTIVITIES}

ACR+’ main tasks were centred on the involvement of external stakeholders in the project, mainly public authorities. To do so, a Regional Working Group was set up, bringing together local and regional authorities willing to share their experience and data, and to provide feedback on the project’s development.  About 10 representatives of local and regional authorities met during the four project meetings that took place in Treviso, Malta, Warsaw, and Thessaloniki. These meetings were hosted by local public organisations and also included public conferences, enabling lively exchanges between project partners, participants of the regional working groups, and local experts. ACR+’ staff were involved in most of the project’s work package to provide information and data and ensure the project’s outcomes are relevant to public authorities’ interests.

Additionally, ACR+ was in charge of making the projects’ outcomes available to local waste authorities and policy makers, by drafting the COLLECTORS Guidelines and Policy Recommendations.

{slider INVENTORY OF WASTE PRACTICES}

The first step of the project was the collection of information on 242 waste collection systems, following a common framework defined in collaboration with representatives from different European cities and regions across Europe during the project’s first Regional Working Group meeting. The collected data were brought together in three databases, focusing on the three waste fractions covered by the project. The data will be presented in an upcoming webplatform.

Find out more on the inventory of waste practices here.

{slider SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES}

Following the data collection, analyses were performed to identify relevant case studies, taking into consideration both specific local contexts (tourism activity, local GDP…) and the performances of the collection systems (capture rates…). The parameters to be taken into considerations for the selection were discussed and validated through a second Regional Working Group meeting, using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making approach.

The selected case studies were then further investigated in order to highlight their performances in terms of quality of sorted materials, environmental impact, economic balance, and public participation.

Find out more on the selection and analysis of case studies here.

{slider GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION}

The last step of the project is to make the results and outcomes available for decision-makers from local and regional authorities, producer responsibility organisations, and national and EU institutions. This takes the form of practical guidelines highlighting effective practices and instruments leading to high quality recycling, how to overcome local specific challenges, and what environmental and economic benefits can be obtained by improving the waste collection systems. It also presents guidance on how to assess its initial situation, to benchmark with other territories, and to set priorities. An update was proposed in December 2020, including a new part on the impact and measures taken to face the COVID 19 pandemic.

{slider POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS}

The COLLECTORS policy recommendations target EU institutions and national authorities, and aim to promote the shift of municipal waste management systems toward a circular economy approach.  In particular, it wishes to underline the challenges faced by local players of municipal waste management to move toward the new targets set by the new European Waste Framework Directive and close the implementation gap.

The COLLECTORS policy recommendations were organised around six topics for which barriers or opportunities were identified over the course of the project. These recommendations reflect the findings of the researches done by the consortium, but also the exchanges done with the different external stakeholders involved during the different working groups.

{slider PARTNERS INVOLVED}

COLLECTORS’ project leader is PNO Consultants BV (NL) and its project partners are:

• ACR+, Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management (BE)
• Ramboll, Ramboll Environment & Health GmbH (DE)
• Eurocities a.s.b.l. (BE)
• LDE, Universiteit Leiden (NL)
• VITO, Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek N.V (BE)
• VTT, Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy (FI)
• WEEE Forum, Waste Electrical and Electronic (BE)
• ZWE, Zero Waste Europe (NL)

{slider THIRD PARTIES}

The project also involves the following third parties:

• Amb3E, Associação Portuguesa de Gestão de Resíduos (PT)
• Ecodom, Consorzio Italiano per il Recupero e Riciclaggio Elettrodomestici (IT)
• Éco-Systèmes (FR)
• ECOTIC, Asociatia ECOTIC (RO)
• ElektroEko, Organizacja Odzysku Sprzętu Elektrycznego i Elektronicznego SA (PL)
• EUR, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (NL)
• Remedia, Tecnologie e Servizi per Il Riciclo S.r.l. (IT)
• WEEE Malta Ltd. (MT)

{/sliders}