Recycling in the Netherlands is under the responsibility of local authorities. Different localities implement different systems, and also within a municipality there can be multiple regimes. Municipalities publish a yearly calendar of the pickup dates and the addresses of the waste separation and recycling stations.

Collection processes

The

curbside collection Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built ...

systems for recyclates employed vary across the

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Biodegradable waste Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion ...

, "GFT" ("Groente-, Fruit-, en Tuinafval") –

Green bin A green bin is a large, movable, rigid plastic or metal container that contains biodegradable waste or compostable materials as a means to divert waste from landfills. In some local authorities, green bins are also used to contain unsorted municip ...

, or combined bin with residual waste (black/green bins), or underground waste containers. Collected in almost all municipalities except some quarters of major cities * Paper/paperboard – Blue bin, or combined bin with plastic (blue/orange bins), or underground waste containers. Collected in almost all municipalities and in most major cities * Plastic/cans – Orange bin, or combined with paper (blue/orange bins), or underground waste containers. Collected in some municipalities and in most major cities

Recyclable waste collected elsewhere

Plastic bottles A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from v ...

– collected with

container-deposit legislation Container-deposit legislation (also known as a container-deposit scheme, deposit-refund system or scheme, deposit-return system, or bottle bill) is any law that requires the collection of a monetary deposit on beverage containers (refillable or ...

-systems,

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

0.15 for <0,5L, €0,25 for >0,5L *

Glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

jars and bottles – common collection points. Since 1972 **

Beer bottle A beer bottle is a bottle designed as a container for beer. Such designs vary greatly in size and shape, but the glass commonly is brown or green to reduce spoilage from light, especially ultraviolet. The most widely established alternatives to ...

s - collected with container-deposit legislation,

0,10 for <0,5L, €0,25 for >0,5L *

Textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

– Textile containers in most cities *

Household hazardous waste Household hazardous waste (HHW) was a term coined by Dave Galvin from Seattle, Washington in 1982 as part of the fulfillment of a US EPA grant. This new term was reflective of the recent passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of ...

, "KCA" ("Klein Chemisch Afval") – civic amenity sites ** Batteries /

fluorescent lamps A fluorescent lamp, or fluorescent tube, is a low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor, which produces short-wave ultraviolet ligh ...

– civic amenity sites, and some supermarkets (WeCycle bins) **

Medication A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

– civic amenity sites, and pharmacies *

Tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

– civic amenity sites *

Ink cartridge An ink cartridge or inkjet cartridge is a component of an inkjet printer that contains the ink that is deposited onto paper during printing. Each ink cartridge contains one or more ink reservoirs; certain producers also add electronic contacts ...

– can be filled in stores again, or returned to collection points (WeCycle bins) *

Timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

– civic amenity sites *

Household appliances A major appliance, also known as a large domestic appliance or large electric appliance or simply a large appliance, large domestic, or large electric, is a non-portable or semi-portable machine used for routine housekeeping tasks such as cookin ...

– can be returned through shop when buying new products, or civic amenity sites

Municipality Recycling facilities

All municipalities are required to provide known collection points for recyclable and/or hazardous materials. All types of separated trash can be accepted here for free or a small sum depending on type of material (green stuff and concrete/bricks is usually free). Some stores perform collection of chemicals (paint, batteries). There are a great number of second-hand shops (run by charity organisations) that accept goods for processing, which consists of re-use, recycling and burning it as fuel.

Facts and figures

Landfill usage has been lowered significantly from 13% in 1992 to 3% in 2016. Dutch household waste recycling averages 49% (2012). The amount of separated household waste in the Netherlands was around 60% in 2014. The Dutch government wants 75% of household waste to be separated by 2020, which means that waste will decrease from 250 kilograms per capita per year to 100 kilograms per capita per year in 2020.

Recycling expertise

The Dutch have a lot of experience in recycling, stimulated by lack of free grounds and significant government funding. This expertise is sensibly exported. A 2006 article reports Dutch involvement in reform of recycling in the UK.

EU Regulations

National law concerning recycling is heavily influenced by EU regulations. Reforms may have great impact on national collection systems (for instance a downgrade of the recycling system is imaginable, when deposits on types of drink containers are lifted). Also, the environmental impact of industry is closely guarded by EU standards.

Deposit systems

Deposit systems are in use for beer bottles, larger

plastic bottle A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from v ...

s, and plastic crates for bottles. For these items, the deposit (or ''statiegeld'') is returned by automated machines at supermarkets. A video of such a machine in use and returning the deposit is available on YouTube. Gas bottles and household appliances are also covered by this. Although for these the money is never returned, it requires a shop owner to accept the discarded item it replaces, if handed in. The used term is "verwijderingsbijdrage" or "removal fee". Extra earnings from this system are spent on investments in the recycling industry. On 24 April 2020, the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven announced that plastic bottles smaller than 1L will be subject to a

0.15 deposit, starting on 1 July 2021. Beverage cans will be subject to a deposit in 2022 if the industry doesn't succeed to reduce the presence of cans in the environment with 70% in 2021. Dutch environmental organisations acclaimed the decision.

References

{{Recycling, state=expand Waste management in the Netherlands