an incentive tax for the reduction of waste under study
While Toulouse is studying the possibility of an incentive tax that would encourage those who throw the least waste, the Sicoval, a mixed union that brings together 36 municipalities in the south-east of the metropolis, has set up for 6 years an incentive fee that its proven effectiveness.
Like Sicoval, which has set up an incentive fee for household waste removal, the Toulouse Metropolis is looking into the issue of more virtuous waste management. And this means encouraging residents to throw away less.
“We are studying the possibility of a tax for the removal of household waste as an incentive, explains Vincent Terrail-Novès, vice-president of Toulouse Métropole. Concretely those who take their baccalaureate less often, benefited from a bonus “.
A study is currently envisaged which should make it possible to develop several cenarii on which to choose an option have been chosen before deciding which option. “A At this stage, I am told that it is not possible, that there are complicated elements given the fact that we have many collective dwellings with a high turnover of tenants, specifies the chosen one. But I think we have to study it “.
Whatever the decision, it won’t be taken for at least a year. In the meantime, a mixed waste management union, Sicoval, which brings together 36 municipalities in the south-east of Toulouse, is reaping the fruits of its daring in this area.
“Here, since January 2016, we have set up an incentive component connected to the production of waste, explains Elodie Delmas, director of user relations for environmental waste management at Sicoval located in Labège. From the first lifting of a residual waste bin (that is to say, non-recyclable) or the deposit of a bag in the buried columns, you can benefit from an incentive part “.
How it works ?
The objective is to count the number of times each household takes out its garbage. Residents pay a fixed subscription to which is added an amount linked to the volume of waste produced. For those who live in lodges, it is the chip on their household waste bin that is activated each time the garbage truck lifts it. The act is sent directly to the invoicing service of Sicoval.
Those who place their bags in the entered columns benefit from a smart access card, the data of which is also recorded in real time at the mixed waste management union.
“For those who live in collective residences with a maximum of ten housing units, individual microchipped containers have been placed.“. As for the largest buildings which have not been equipped with buried columns, it is the co-ownership which passes on to each household the volume calculated on all the chipped bins.
All the waste bins in the territory are therefore allocated “and chips, comments Elodie Delmas. This allows to know precisely the practice and uses. What we wanted is fairness in the treatment of residents, businesses and communities “.
“We apply the polluter pays principle to the letter, continuation of the director of the service. It is very effective for raising awareness and taking into account the cost of waste treatment (because it is not just removal) and the importance of reducing it. The inhabitants win, the environment wins. In 2020, we are around 150kg per year and per inhabitant, while for the whole of Toulouse, the average is practically double“.
The finding is indeed very positive. In 10 years, the share of non-recyclable household waste has fallen by 100 kg per inhabitant per year. This mode of operation allows a more virtuous sorting: for example, we no longer throw an old paint can in the residual waste intended to be burned, we take it to the recycling center.
Ademe supported Sicoval in its financial approach. Supply of columns, bins, badges and readers. The billing service has also grown. Ten people follow customer relations for waste, but also for water and sanitation.
The cost of waste management is lower for the 80,000 inhabitants of the 36 municipalities concerned: between 15 and 20 euros per month per household. “It’s cheaper than a phone subscription, notes Elodie Delmas. Today, we have a management cost per household, from prevention to treatment including collection, which is less expensive than it was in 2003. This is exceptional with all the taxes on polluting activities that have occurred. been in place since 2003 “.