Norway`s waste policy

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to be here today.

Before I begin my presentation, I would like to use the opportunity to thank the organisers of the conference, who have done a tremendous job. The program clearly shows that this conference will be of high quality and variety, and I know from experience that there is a lot of hard work invested in putting together such a program. So thank you and congratulation!

Introduction
The subject of my speech here today, is rather general - the heading is "the waste policy of Norway". I will thus try to give you an overview of the governing waste policy in Norway, and then present some of the governments plans for future action in this field.

Waste policy, as a part of the environmental policy, is of great interest and importance to us all. It is a field where work on the environment is most visible and tangible in peoples everyday-life. It is almost impossible to imagine a modern industrialised society without a functioning environmentally sound waste management system. Therefore this is a very important area to deal with, not only as a means to tackle the waste problem in itself, but also as a means to secure public participation and understanding for environmental problems in general.

In Norway the environmental problems related to the generation of waste were first dealt with in a systematic way in the early nineties. A white paper relating to measures to reduce waste, increase recycling and ensure environmentally sound waste management, was submitted to the Parliament in 1992. The paper pointed out a series of problems created by the current waste management. Amongst these were the pollution of water, air and soil, the acute toxic effects and damage to people, animals and vegetation and the restriction on land use. Today, almost ten years later it has become clear that landfilling of waste also contributes to global environmental problems, such as the emission of the greenhouse gas methane, which is rated to have a climatic hazardous potential that is 21 times greater than carbon dioxide.

Throughout the past 10 years a number of instruments securing environmentally sound management of waste have of course been adopted. In may view the Norwegian waste policy of today is a highly developed area of the environmental law, involving both central and local government, producers and the consumers. This development has taken place both in Norway and at the international level, especially within the EU. A number of regulations and directives has been adopted and made subject to national implementation. When being given a description of the Norwegian waste policy you will find a lot of similarities to the national waste policy which you are most familiar with.

Despite the achievements over the last ten years, the issue of waste policy is as relevant now as it was back then. In the following I will first describe the Norwegian waste policy of today, and then elaborate on the plans which the Norwegian Government has for the waste policy in the future.

The main elements of the Norwegian waste policy today
The strategic target of the Norwegian waste policy today is to minimise the damage caused by waste to human health and the environment. Socio-economic considerations should be used when achieving this target.

Further the target is made operative through three main goals, regarding reduced growth in the volume of waste, increased recycling and safe and acceptable treatment of all hazardous waste.

In order to achieve these goals, the waste management sector in Norway has been regulated in various ways, and there is an interplay between regulation at the central and the local level. The central government through the Ministry of Environment and the State Pollution Control Authority (SFT) drafts policy documents and sets the general framework.

This framework is to a large extent set out in the Pollution Control Act. The law states as a general principle that it is illegal to pollute, including littering and dumping of waste. Further it gives the local authorities legal authority to order the "polluter" to clean up, in accordance with the principle of polluter-pays. Facilities for the treatment of waste must always have a permission from the pollution authorities to operate.

Within this framework the municipalities are given a very central role. The local authorities may be regarded as the "cornerstone" of the Norwegian waste policy. The local authorities have amongst other the responsibility for collecting and managing consumer waste. It is also the local authorities that regulate how waste collection and separation at source is to take place locally. To cover the expenses incurred by carrying out these operations, the local authorities are allowed and obliged to fix a waste tariff. Industry on their side are responsible for the management of production waste.

Furthermore the Pollution Control Act forms the basis for the adoption of regulations which establish systems based on so called extended producer responsibility (EPR-systems). In this way the industry are given a more active part in the Norwegian waste regime with regard to waste from their own products. Today EPR-systems are in operation both in relation to tyres, different types of packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic equipment (ee-products).

These systems have been regarded as efficient and environmentally beneficial, in order to secure collection and management of the specific waste fractions and give the producers an incentive to manufacture products with a lower potential of harming the environment. To enhance the participation in these schemes, the majority of the companies running the different EPR-systems, have established a foundation called LOOP. The aim of this foundation is to co-ordinate information about the different EPR-systems, in order to make such information more accessible to consumers. In my view this is a positive and important step towards increased re-use and recycling.

Norway was in 1998 the first country to adopt an EPR-system in relation to electrical and electronic equipment. It is therefore inspiring to see that the EC are in the process of adopting similar rules in this area after considerable consultations and investigations.

The system of giving certain producers an extended responsibility is rooted in the general principle of responsible for ones own waste.

In addition, the present waste policy pays particular attention to the responsibility of the holder of hazardous waste. This is waste, which has a special potential for hazard or pollution. Such waste is made subject to special rules dealing with handling, collection/transport and treatment. No management of hazardous waste is allowed without special permission from the authorities. In order to secure that hazardous waste is not mixed with ordinary waste, businesses are obliged to deliver such waste at least once a year to approved facilities. In addition the local authorities are obliged to ensure that sufficient facilities exist for the reception of such hazardous waste from household and smaller enterprises.

In Norwegian waste policy, as in EU waste policy, the recovery of waste by means of re-use, material recycling and energy utilisation are to be encouraged. Accordingly, final treatment of waste was therefore in 1999 made subject to a tax. The tax should reflect the environmental costs of the final treatment. Today the taxes are 314 kr. pr. ton for landfil (approximately 40 Euro) and for incineration there is a basic charge of 79 kr. per ton (approx. 10 euro) and an additional charge of 235 kr. per ton (approx. 30 euro) which is reduced according to the degree of energy utilisation.

Studies indicate that the tax has increased recovery in form of re-use, material recycling and energy utilisation, but that the tax has had more effect in the industrial sector than in private households.

Well, this was an overview of what is the Norwegian waste policy today. I will now go on to describe the Governments plans for waste policy in the coming years.

Future aims for the waste policy

In 1999 the Government presented an extensive white paper on the state of the environment and the governments environmental policy. In relation to waste the white paper shows that the overall aim of minimising the damage caused by waste is still the governing target. In addition the operative goals of waste reduction, enhanced recycling and securing safe treatment of hazardous waste where specified. The paper was further elaborated in a white paper earlier this year. The three goals are now as follows:

- the growth in the volume of waste that is generated should be significantly lower than the rate of the economic growth

- secondly, given the fact that the quantity of waste for final treatment is to be reduced to a socio-economical and environmentally reasonable level, the aim is that the quantity of waste dealt with by final treatment should by the year 2010, be equal to approximately 25 % of the quantity of waste generated

- thirdly, practically speaking all hazardous waste is to be dealt with in a safe and acceptable manner, and is either to be sent to recycling or is to be guaranteed sufficient national capacity for its treatment.

The intention of the Government has been to follow the direction of the last decade and to further develop the instruments already in place. It has been seen as very important to secure a stable framework for the established systems, and thus make sure that these systems achieve full effect. In order to do so the Government will focus on making the different regimes even more efficient, by adjusting them and secure compliance.

A specific example is that the Government has started an assessment of the tax on final treatment of waste. The aim of this assessment is to determine whether to increase or change the structure of the tax, in order to achieve even better effect. One will amongst other assess whether to link the tax directly to the emissions from waste treatment, instead of the tons of waste delivered. The Government will present its recommendations in relation to this work within the end of the year.

Furthermore the different EPR-systems will be kept under a constant review. Revision is needed both in order to adapt to international development, such as the proposal for a directive on the waste electrical and electronic equipment and the new "end of life-vehicle"-directive, but also to make the systems even more efficient on the basis of national experience. Some of the EPR-systems are troubled with what is often called "free-riders". "Free-riders" are producers and importers, who do not cover the costs of environmentally sound treatment of their discarded products which end up in the system. It will be very difficult to avoid all "free-riders", but it will be important to try to reduce the number as far as possible.

The Government is also in the process of adjusting the agreements for recycling of packaging waste. Studies have shown that the established systems have had an overall positive effect, but that for certain fractions the recycling targets may have been set to high. Certain provisions in the agreements with industry should be amended to follow up these conclusions. Furthermore an updating of technical aspects which are important for the operation of the system will be secured. This work is expected to be concluded within the year.

Waste from construction work, is a category of waste which will have to be given special attention in the coming years. Such waste constitutes around 40 percent of the total amount of waste in Norway. It has a considerable potential for recovery and often contains different hazardous substances. To help secure environmentally sound handling of this waste, the Government are in the process of delegating power to the municipalities, in order to enable them to request for information concerning amounts and management of waste in connection with construction permits.

In addition the Government recently sent a letter to all actors possible of handling building and demolition waste containing PCB, informing them of their duty to secure safe treatment of this waste. PCB has often been found in the windows installed in the period from 1965 to 1979. To secure the collection and safe treatment of these windows, the Government has supported financially a company securing the safe treatment of such windows. All the measures will only have effect if the construction industry accepts their responsibility. I am confident that we will see new initiatives concerning this in the future.

At the international level, Norway has been a keen participant in developing the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of hazardous Waste and their Disposals. The Norwegian Government is of the sound belief that a country should not transport its environmental problems to another country. Norway was therefore one of the first countries to ratify the ban of all export of hazardous waste to developing countries under the convention. Together with the Netherlands and India we are now in the process of developing draft guidelines for the environmentally sound scrapping of ships in developing countries.

In addition to improving the existing systems established for managing the problems caused by products when discarded as waste, the Government also finds a challenge in handling the waste problem already at the stage of the production of products. Ten years ago the main task was to reduce damage caused by waste and other pollution, as an end of pipe solution. With tough requirements from the authorities and great effort from the local governments, industry and the public, most waste produced today are normally managed in an environmentally sound way. This is a general trend also in relation to other types of pollution. The Government therefore sees it as increasingly important to focus on the environmental impacts of the entire product life cycle. In relation to waste management, this means f.ex. producing products of higher quality and thus with a longer life, producing products by recycled material or products which themselves are recyclable.

Such life cycle thinking is emphasised also at the international level, most recently through the green paper on Integrated Product Policy, which was presented by the European Commission in February this year.

To ensure such a development, it is crucial to enhance consumer awareness, and thus increase consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. This requires information about the environmental impacts of a product. Such information may be facilitated through environmental labelling or through increased access to environmental information found elsewhere.

In Norway there are two official eco-labels – the Nordic label "the svan" and the EU`s eco-label. An important task in the future will be to increase the number of products which are eco-labelled, and to make the consumers aware of the existence and the content of such labels. The Government is confident in the effect of such schemes, and will thus keep a high pressure on these and other similar schemes.

Access to environmental information is important to enhance the awareness also on a more general basis. Norway has signed the international 1998 Aarhus Convention regarding environmental information, and have, together with the other Nordic countries, strong traditions for access to information from public authorities in environmental matters. The Government is thus preparing the necessary legislatory amendments in order to further strengthen these rights and to ratify the convention. Hopefully a new Norwegian act on access to environmental information can be presented for Parliament later this year. The act should include a right to environmental information not only from public authorities, but also from private enterprises with impact on the environment.

In addition it is important to ensure that the State itself serves as a good example by running an environmentally sound management, and in that way contribute in turning the demand towards green products and minimising the amount of waste generated. Every year the Norwegian State purchases goods and services for 200 billion kroners, which is approximately 25 billion euro. This gives the State both a great power and a large responsibility in relation to turning the demand towards environmentally friendly products. The Government recognises this power and responsibility, and has thus started a project towards greening the State – the so called "Green State-project". The aim of the project is to reduce the burden on the environment caused by the operation of public enterprises and form basis for assessing how integration of environmental considerations in the public sector can best take place. Reduced amounts of waste and increased separating at source are amongst the priorities that the enterprises will be working on, as well as the establishment of an environmentally conscious purchasing strategy. In this way the State will send a signal to be copied also by other businesses in society.

As mentioned earlier, one of the main aims of the Norwegian waste policy is to make sure that the growth in the volume of waste that is generated should be significantly lower than the rate of economic growth. Statistics shows that to achieve such a de-coupling is very difficult. To help the government in finding new approaches and instruments in this area, the Government has established a committee with the task of producing supplementary or improved methods for minimising the amount of waste produced. The members of the committee represents both local government, industry, research institutions, consumer organisations and other organisations. The committee was established in April this year, and are asked to deliver a report within a year.

Hopefully this will give the Government useful proposals for an improved approached to the question of how to reduce the amount of waste produced.

Concluding remarks

As is evident from this presentation, a lot has been done in relation to tackling the environmental problems caused by waste. Still it is an area in constant development, and it is therefore of great importance to continue to discuss different problems and solutions in relation to waste policy. To have meeting places like this conference is most useful in order to share thoughts and ideas and to gather inspiration. I will therefore again like to thank the organisers of the conference, and also which you all good luck with the rest of the conference!

Thank you.