Kortlægning og evaluering af erhvervsaffaldskonsulentordninger i kommuner og affaldsselskaber
Summary and conclusions
The project "Review of schemes for industrial and commercial waste consultants in municipalities and waste management companies" shows that by May 1st 2000 as many as 200 of the 275 Danish municipalities were covered of a scheme for commercial and industrial waste consultants. In the following the term "Industrial and Commercial Waste" consultants will be used frequently - and will therefore be shortened to ICW-consultants.
The project shows that consultants as well as companies are very satisfied with the schemes– and several good ideas of how to improve present and future schemes have been proposed.
Background and purpose - increased effort in relation to industrial and commercial waste
The amount of industrial and commercial waste is increasing. The present recycling of this type of waste is less than required - which means loss of ressources. Additionally, industrial and commercial waste contains hazardous substances which have to be separated for special treatment.
Municipalities and waste management companies have established the ICW- consultant schemes to make the companies pay more attention to their production of waste – e.g. by strenghtening the information about local waste regulations. The ICW-consultants are to guide the companies in a more reasonable waste management. This means that waste is to be recycled instead of landfilled or incinerated and that waste containing dangerous substances is to be separated.
Till now there has been no general view of the content and dissemination of the ICW-schemes. Neither has there been an evaluation of the experiences with the schemes as prescribed in "Waste 21 – Danish Government’s Waste Plan 1998-2004". Therefore the background for this project is to follow up on this.
The aim of the project has been to review existing and planned schemes in municipalities and waste management companies and to evaluate experiences with the existing schemes. Another aim has been to provide knowledge for the municipalities, the waste management companies and the Danish EPA in order to improve existing and prepare future schemes.
The survey - review of ICW-consultants schemes
Reno-Sam has been in charge of the project which has been carried through in a co-operation between Reno-Sam, Rambøll, the Danish Technological Institute and ACNielsen AIM A/S. The project is financed by the Danish EPA within the "Programme for cleaner technology a.o.".
The review of the ICW-consultants schemes is based on telephone interviews with employees from 269 municipalities and 32 waste management companies. The review identifies municipalities and waste management companies with existing schemes or concrete plans of implementing the schemes. The review also provided data of the aim, financing, activities a.o. of the schemes.
The evaluation is partly based on the above mentioned telephone interviews and partly by telephone interviews with 45 companies having received instructions and advice from ICW-consultants. Additionally 8 ICW-consultants have participated in a group interview. During the evaluation process the consultants and the companies have estimated the effects of the scheme – and have given guidelines how to improve recent and future schemes.
Finally the project includes 4 case descriptions of consultant schemes and 4 case descriptions of company visits.
Main conclusions
An ICW-consultant scheme can help fulfilling the aims in waste management planning of municipalities as well as waste management companies – and thereby also in the implementation of the principal objectives in "Waste 21" – which a.o. are to move waste from landfilling and incineration to recycling - and to separate contaminated fractions to special treatment.
On the line of the results of the telephone interviews with municipalities, waste management companies – and other companies the project gives advice to politicians, municipalities and waste management companies about the ICW-consultant schemes. Additionally, the Danish EPA gets much good advice as to improve existing and future schemes.
When considering whether a municipality or a waste treatment company should establish an ICW-consultant scheme two questions ought to be discussed:
 | Will the ICW-consultant scheme contribute to the fulfilment of the objectives in the local waste plan and "Waste 21"? |
| Do the politicians and the municipality/waste treatment company have the necessary will and ressources to establish an ICW-consultant scheme? |
The following questions need to be clarified - if it is decided to establish a scheme:
| How is the scheme to be organised? |
| How is the scheme to be financed? |
| How many consultants must be engaged ? |
| What is the overall objective of the scheme ? |
| Which duties do the ICW-consultant(s) have ? |
| Do you have to offer the same service or do you need more than one alternative if more than one municipality participate in the scheme ? |
| Do you have to set up a working group to the scheme – or some kind of continously sparring for the consultant(s) ? |
| Do you need some measures for the success of the sceme ? |
| Do you have to make evaluations or measures of effect of the scheme – and in that case how? |
The working conditions for a new consultant undoubtedly will be better - the more thoughts have been given the start-up of a scheme.
The project also provides some guidelines about working tools to inspire the ICW-consultants - which might be helpful for them – with the following headings:
| Participation in networks with other consultants |
| Development of data registration systems and a detailed follow-up on company visits |
| Focus on large companies and quantities of waste, trades, fractions and recently established companies |
| Cooperation with conveyers |
| Supplementary training |
The discussions, decisions and duties of politicians, municipalities, waste management companies and ICW-consultants cannot be isolated from each other – but must be supplemented with initiatives from the Danish EPA.
The Danish EPA can support present and future ICW-consultant schemes by:
| Providing all relevant information from the EPA to the ICW-consultants |
| Providing an electronic tool kit to the ICW-consultants |
| Considering whether the effect of the ICW-consultants can be evaluated by drawing data from ISAG (Information System for Waste and Recycling) |
| Making the ICW-consultants clear of their role in relation to reducing the amount of waste to a minimum and support them in this role |
Results of the project
The analysis
Telephone interviews with employees from municipalities and waste management companies survey that by May 1st 2000 municipalities and waste management companies had 39 ICW-consultant schemes. The schemes employ 51 ICW-consultants and cover 200 municipalities.
The schemes can be organised in 3 ways – some municipalities have their own schemes with one or more consultants employed – other municipalities co-operate by sharing an ICW-consultant. The majority of municipalities participate in schemes through their waste treatment company having employed one or more consultants.
The majority of the schemes started in the period 1996-2000.
The various ICW-consultant schemes are very different – e.g. in relation to order of priority, resources and the number and character of the companies. At the same time there are some common features - repeated in the majority of schemes. The fundamental common feature is the aim of the schemes - to some extent the same for all of them – to bring industrial and commercial waste into focus.
Some activities are identical - a.o. guidance in connection with visits, telephone contacts and by sending out information material, dialogue with relevant players and duties as receiving control and random checks.
The evaluation
Generally the ICW-consultants are satisfied with their schemes. The job as a consultant is fascinating and offers many challenges. The positive attitude is also noticeable in the group of interviewed contact persons from the companies. They find that it is valuable with a place to turn to with the various questions about e.g. separation and sale. It is an important factor to get an overview of the waste in their company.
The telephone interviews with the ICW-consultants and contact persons from companies did not reveal the amounts of waste being transferred. Some consultants and companies have been able to state approximate amounts for some fractions – but not to an extent which might lead to any overall conclusion. In the same way it is not possible to draw any conclusions about economic consequenses for the companies which might be the results of better terms by selling or by separating new fractions.
On the contrary, as well consultants as companies are able to express their estimations on the effects of the schemes. The consultants find that the schemes have focused on industrial and commercial waste in general, that the legislation is observed more than before and that the amount of waste recycled has increased. The consultants also find that the schemes result in a better separation of contaminated waste and that waste is finding its way up in the waste hierarchy – i.e. waste is recycled instead of being landfilled or incinerated.
The contact persons in the companies find that the schemes have drawn their attention to the waste generation. The visit of an ICW-consultant often results in separation of several waste fractions.
The majority of the companies have been informed about the economial effects of their waste management. After the visit some companies spend more money to get rid of their waste than before. Others save money – because they are paid for e.g. paper and cardboard although they have to pay more for containers and collections.