OVAM stands for Openbare Afvalstoffenmaatschappij voor het
Vlaams Gewest (Public Waste Agency of Flanders) and is
responsible for waste management and soil remediation in
Flanders. It is a public Flemish Institution, established after
the decree of July 2nd, 1981 covering waste management and
prevention. Waste removal and soil remediation were included as
well. In 1995, Flanders got a more specific legislation on soil
remediation : the soil remediation decree. The Flemish Minister
of Environment is responsible for waste management in Flanders.
Ovam works out and implements its policy. The soil remediation
decree provides the Flemish government with a powerful
instrument to fight historical as well as recent soil pollution.
One of its objectives is to remediate historical soil pollution
within a period of 40 years. The soil remediation decree equally
offers a range of possibilities to prevent new soil pollution or
to remediate right away. The Flemish Region is responsible for
environmental policy. The competen