The National Waste Management Agency (OHÜ) signed agreements for next year's selective waste collection with the first three public service providers on Tuesday in Budapest.

The final draft of the 2014 contract, which provides the framework for the selective collection and utilisation of household waste and the related partial financing, was completed earlier than in previous years, Managing Director of the OHÜ Oszkár Vámosi stated at the event.

The Agency has signed agreements regarding the selective collection of household waste with 95 companies who perform public waste management services this year. According to Mr. Vámosi, 90-100 contractual partners are also expected in 2014.

According to plans, public service companies are expected to collect roughly the same amount of selective waste as they did this year, some 60 thousand tons in 2014, towards which the Waste management Agency is providing a total budget of HUF 3 billion.

In 2011, some 8.3 million Hungarian citizens had access to selective waste collection through the contractual partners of the OHÜ, and this number exceeded 9 million in 2012 and is expected to increase further in 2013, Mr. Vámosi said, adding that in general only 13-16 percent of the population make use of this opportunity.

The goal of these service contracts is to maximise the quantity of separately collected paper, metal, plastic, glass and fluids packaging waste that reaches waste recycling and processing plants.

The Managing Director of the OHÜ stressed that the Agency regards everyone who has an interest in the proven and certifiable performance of such services, in improving service quality and maintaining client-friendly customer services as a partner.

Mr. Vámosi also indicated that one of the Agency's goals was to enable service providers to win long-term licenses for period of up to five years from 2015, which would make services more dependable.

(MTI)