Benefiting from the “workers” subsidy as an approved reuse company (recycling centre)

Non-profits and companies that have been approved as reuse companies. These companies are active in reuse and processing activities, with a view to reusing waste, products or product components.

Be approved as a reuse company;

Employ workers who do not have a diploma for higher secondary education or equivalent in said reuse company.

The annual subsidy granted by the Minister of the Economy aims to compensate for the loss of productivity caused by hiring staff from the target audience. This includes workers who do not have a diploma for higher secondary education or equivalent, who are hired by the reuse company.

Method for calculating the subsidy:

The company’s annual payroll, which must be calculated for the annual subsidy, concerns human resources that are assigned exclusively to reuse activities and must be used to compensate for the company’s loss of productivity.

Henceforth, only workers without a CESS (or equivalent) are included in the calculation of this payroll. The payroll is calculated with deductions for exemptions, contribution reductions and assistance from any public authorities.

The following formula must be used to define the amount of the annual subsidy:

                                                          (Payroll/30,000)*E

where E represents the amount of the coefficient for compensating lost productivity. This is currently set at €2,000.00.

Each year, no earlier than the date on which it was notified of the approval decision, the approved reuse company must send the Social economy department the supporting documents to justify the annual subsidy that has been granted and to prove compliance with the criteria and conditions which have determined the calculation of the subsidy amount. Once the documents have been validated by the administration, the relevant representative pays the balance of the subsidy that is still due from the previous year, as well as the new advance, which corresponds to seventy-five percent of the annual amount of the subsidy linked to the approval.

Communication generally takes place via email. Original copies of the claim statements and the table must be provided by post.

There are no fees associated with this procedure.

Currently, the only language that can be used for this process is French.

In order to be complete, the file must include the following:

• a statement indicating the different costs borne annually by the reuse company, in the context of activities that are linked to its approval;

• the number of workers, calculated as full-time equivalents, that are allocated to the activity of the reuse company in the context of its approval;

• a list of workers who do not hold a higher secondary education certificate or equivalent, who have been assigned to activities relating to its approval by the reuse company;

• the annual payroll for workers who do not hold a higher secondary education certificate or equivalent, who have been assigned to activities relating to its approval by the reuse company;

• the reuse company’s payroll for the reference year for workers who do not hold a higher secondary education certificate or equivalent, who have been assigned to activities relating to its approval by the reuse company;

• the approved annual accounts, linked to the reference year for the payment of the subsidy, which have been established in accordance with the accounting law applicable to the legal entity and, where applicable, in an analytical manner with regard to reuse and processing for reuse activities, as well as, where applicable, the report from the statutory auditor, who has been appointed in accordance with the Companies Code or the law on non-profit associations, international non-profit associations and foundations.

These documents are then analysed and used to calculate the amount of the corresponding annual base subsidy to be allocated by the Social economy department (DGO6). This amount is then communicated to the approved reuse company by post.

In addition, this notification asks the company to provide two claim statements:

• a claim statement corresponding to the balance of 25% of the payroll for the year ended;

• a claim statement corresponding to the advance for the coming year, corresponding to 75% of the annual amount calculated.

Upon receipt of the two claim statements, these are verified and are subject to payment.

Any individual or legal entity, who believes that a Walloon administrative authority or the French Community of Belgium has not acted in accordance with their public-service obligations in relation to a case involving them, may submit an individual claim, in writing or in person, to the Ombudsmen of Wallonia and the French Community of Belgium.

This claim can be submitted in writing to the following address:

Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles

Rue Lucien Namèche, n°54

B-5000 Namur

• The Decree of 20 November 2008 concerning the social economy
• The decree from the Walloon Government of 3 April 2014 concerning the approval and granting of subsidies to non-profits and companies with a social purpose that perform reuse and processing activities for reuse purposes (M.B. of 29 April 2014, p 202762)
• The Decree of 27 June 1996 concerning waste