The Hobeki Elkartea Association consists of several more advanced municipalities in the circular management of waste: The municipalities of Aduna, Antzuola, Anoeta, Berastegi, Berriatua, Donemiliaga, Hernani, Itsasondo, Larrabetzu, Leintz-Gatzaga, Oñati, Oiartzun, Segura, Usurbil and Zaldibia. All of them are the ones with the best results in waste management, including those who have pioneered door-to-door collection.

On their website, the members of Hobekin point out that “in Euskal Herria there is no organized waste management policy, each country functions in its own way and has wanted to take political and economic advantage of a subject that requires social commitment. On many occasions, contradictory and erroneous decisions and actions prevail, taking into account the occasional impulses and private economic interests.” The municipalities that are part of Hobekin to strengthen another more effective and sustainable in the face of this dynamic, have in a decalogue the ten fundamental principles to advance.

The conference on 17 November will focus on what is technically known as “innate rate” and is known as “fair rate” by many affected. With the system already known in many organisations around the world and established between us in Usurbil, the fee to be paid for the collection and management of waste from each family or company is divided into two components: one is fixed for everyone and another invoice depending on the rejection generated by each unit, rewarding the one that strives to generate less waste and financially penalising the one that generates the most waste.

At the Berastegi session, from 10:00 in the morning, the first session will present and analyze the “Municipal Non-Municipal Waste Rates”:

From 10:15, María Calaf Form, an expert in environmental taxation and non-marital payment systems, and Ioritz Berra, mayor of Zaldibia.

The second part will address “the criteria and the fee to be applied by the Mancommunities in the recovery of municipalities”. Beginning at 11:45, Xabier Urdangarin, Vice-President of the Commonwealth of San Marcos and Mayor of Astigarraga, and Josep Maria Tost i Borras, expert in circular strategies and waste management. Tost i Borras has long been president of the association of municipalities from Puerta a Puerta in Catalonia and president of the Catalan Waste Agency.