Brussels: Belgium boasts that it is top of the European league for recycling packaging waste, with 87 per cent of plastic bottles, glass bottles, packaging and cartons now processed for recycling.
Rubbish triage by householders is mandatory and contravention of the rules is subject to fines. But there are no charges for rubbish collection which is organised by the communes.
The packaging waste recycling is coordinated by Fost Plus, a body representing and funded by the packaging industry. Every year, it recycles some 680,000 tonnes of packaging.
The recycling industry has welcomed EU commission proposals that will require, by 2030, 100 per cent disposable plastic containers on the market. But it calls for the additional incentivisation of the process notably with VAT reductions on products sold in recyclable plastic.