On June 13, 2009 I was the keynote speaker at the Association of Oregon Recycler's Conference in Redmond, Oregon. During my talk, I referenced several articles.  You can access them on my Resources page or from the following descriptions. 

Germany's Greenpoint System
When Germany passed an Ordinance on the Avoidance of Packaging Waste in 1991, they shifted the cost of managing waste from the public to the product manufacturers.  Learn more about this greenpoint system from the greenpoint company, DSD's website, or from an article on the "Inform" website.

Ghent, Belgium: Pay As You Throw
Belgium implemented a pay-as-you-throw system.  Subsequently, they saw the residual waste collected from households decrease from 325 kg of waste per resident (1995) to 189 kg of waste per resident (1999).  View the full report.

Munich, Germany: Dry Fermentation Plant
A dry fermentation plant just north of Munich, Germany, processes organic material and produces electricity and compost.  Here is the glossy BEKON brochure describing the facility as well as the more beefy AWM document describing how the facility harvests energy from biowaste.

England: Love Food, Hate Waste
In the UK, a WRAP study found that families throw out nearly 1/3 of the food that they purchase. Here is a summary of the study, as well as the full report.