Defra Minister for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Dan Norris, visited Belgium last week to meet with Belgian waste policy advisors and hear first hand about some of the exemplary waste prevention work being carried out in the Flanders region.  Ovam, the Flanders Waste authority, has developed a number of incentives for businesses and local authorities to prevent the creation of waste.

The Minister was looking at aims and objectives of the current waste policy of the Flemish Region and key areas of success over the last few years. The objective of the visit was to learn key lessons from Ovam to help inform UK policy delivery.

Belgian waste management is so advanced that in some areas such as the collection and recycling of packaging waste, Belgium is the leader among European countries. As a result, the total production of waste has remained flat in recent years. The recycling average is also much higher in Belgium than in the rest of Europe. The selective collection of household waste is very developed in all Regions: over 80% of household waste is treated or recycled.

During his visit to Belgium, the Minister also paid a visit to the Nike facility at Laakdaal where they discussed Nike's considered design for sustainability, how they develop sustainable products and how they interact with consumers. They also had an opportunity to talk about green energy and green logistics at Nike and to speak with staff about the challenges they face in developing sustainable products and consumer reactions in relation to this.