- Intro text: King's Day is the time to look for gems at the flea market, or to clear out the attic and give things a second life. Good for space at home and for the environment. Because what you no longer need may be just what someone else is looking for.
King's Day is the time to look for gems at the flea market, or to clear out the attic and give things a second life. Good for space at home and for the environment. Because what you no longer need may be just what someone else is looking for.
Pass on stuff
Have you cleaned up recently and collected items you no longer use? Put them for sale at the free market on King's Day. This way, you will give them a second chance and make someone else happy. Are there any items left over? Then take them to a charity shop or give them away. There is no need to throw things away if they are still usable.
Buy second-hand
The free market is the place to find something special for a small price. From children's toys and books to kitchen utensils and vintage clothes. Second-hand shopping is not only sustainable, but also fun and surprising.
Smart partying = less waste
A little preparation makes all the difference. Bring a sturdy bag when you go out, and use a reusable cup or bottle during the party. Choose snacks without unnecessary packaging or bring your own treats in a lunch box. These are small habits with a big effect.
Set a good example
Children watch. By buying, selling and handling waste sustainably, you show that a party can also be done responsibly. And maybe next year they will go out themselves with a rug full of toys that will make someone else happy.
Together we make King's Day greener
Whether you are browsing the market in the morning or going to an orange party with friends in the afternoon: you are making a difference. Celebrate, leave no mess and think of tomorrow. Together, we will make King's Day not only an orange, but also a greener celebration.
- Intro text: Scouring pads: handy, right? But did you know they are harmful to the environment? Discover sustainable alternatives that work just as well and are better for nature.
You probably know them: scouring pads made of plastic foam. They are in almost every kitchen and are very handy. But did you know that these sponges are bad for the environment? Fortunately, there are sustainable alternatives that work just as well and are better for nature.
Scouring pads made of plastic foam are usually made of polyurethane. This material does not break down in nature. During cleaning, small pieces of plastic wear off all the time. These pieces, also called microplastics, wash away with the water. Via wastewater, they enter rivers, oceans and eventually the food chain.
Sponges do not last long. They wear out quickly and you have to replace them often. This creates a lot of waste. So choose a sustainable alternative.
1. Luffa sponges
Use a luffa sponge. This sponge is made of plant fibres. Luffa sponges are 100% natural and compostable. They contain no chemicals and are sturdy and perfect for scrubbing away caked-on residue. In addition, they are soft enough for delicate surfaces such as glass, pans and tiles. And they last longer than plastic scouring pads. A perfect alternative to plastic foam scouring pads.
2. Coconut fibre sponges
Try a coconut fibre sponge, made from the fibres of coconuts. They are biodegradable and very strong: ideal for heavily soiled surfaces, such as caked-on pans.
3. Wooden washing-up brushes
Choose a wooden dishwashing brush with natural bristles, without microplastics. Super durable because when the brush head wears out, you can replace it. The handle will last for years.
Make a difference
By switching to a sustainable alternative to scouring pads, you help reduce the amount of microplastics in the environment. And make cleaning a little greener. It's a small change in your daily habit, but one that makes a big difference to the planet. In this way, we are moving together towards a clean environment and waste-free future.
- Intro text: After an enjoyable New Year's Eve, a lot of fireworks rubbish is often left behind. Not only is this a dirty sight, but fireworks litter is also dangerous for people, animals and the environment. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Find out how to safely and quickly clear away fireworks debris and make your street tidy again.
After an enjoyable New Year's Eve, a lot of fireworks rubbish is often left behind. Not only is this a dirty sight, but fireworks litter is also dangerous for people, animals and the environment. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Find out how to safely and quickly clear away fireworks debris and make your street tidy again.
Why clean up fireworks waste?
- Dangerous:There may be duds among the remains that still go off. This is dangerous for children and pets.
- Bad for the environment: Fireworks contain harmful substances such as plastics and metals. These pollute soil and water.
What can you do?
- Watch out for duds:That's fireworks that haven't gone off. That can still be dangerous, so never let children clean up on their own. Make sure an adult is there. Never let children clean up alone.
- Wet firework debris:Fireworks leftovers can smoulder or glow for a long time. Therefore, wet everything a little before putting it in a rubbish bag. This will prevent fires. Afterwards, you may dispose of this waste with the residual waste.
- Protect pets:Animals can get sick if they get firework debris in their mouths. Make sure they can't reach it.
- Clean your pavement:Do you have stains on your tiles? A soak with warm water and a little natural soap will work wonders. Do not use harsh detergents as they can damage your tiles.
Together clean 2025
These simple steps will help you ensure a safe and clean neighbourhood. Take responsibility and clean up your fireworks waste immediately on 1 January. That way you will start the new year clean and tidy. We wish you a happy New Year and a litter-free 2025!
- Intro text: What do you do with the oil after baking oliebollen? Avoid blockages and choose a sustainable solution: Turn it in!
New Year's Eve is not complete without a big bowl of oliebollen. But where do you leave that pan full of oil after baking? It is important never to throw used oil down the sink, toilet or waste bin. This causes blockages in pipes and is bad for the environment. Fortunately, there is a simple and sustainable solution: turn it in.
Keep the bottle and pour back the oil
As soon as you pour the oil into the pan, set the empty bottle aside. Let the oil cool down well after frying and pour it back into the bottle. This way you can keep your kitchen, shed or garage clean and transport the oil easily. Is the bottle full? Then deliver it to the waste disposal centres or the Kringloopplein with your environmental pass. Or at a collection point nearby. You can find the nearest locations at frying fatrecyclehet.co.uk.
Also collect other oils separately
Oil from jars containing sun-dried tomatoes or feta, for example, also does not belong in the sink, toilet or waste bin. Collect such leftover oil in a separate plastic bottle without a deposit and hand it in when the bottle is full.
Why submit?
Used oil and grease can be well recycled, for example into biofuel or biodiesel. This way, you help reduce waste and contribute to a cleaner environment.
So: enjoy your baking, but return your oil and fats separately and start the new year tidy and sustainable!
- Intro text: After an elaborate Christmas dinner, delicious leftovers are often left over. Don't throw them away! Use them to make surprising dishes or freeze them. That way you can enjoy the festive season even longer and contribute to reducing food waste.
After a festive Christmas dinner, there are often leftovers. Don't throw them away, make delicious and surprising dishes with them or freeze them. This way, you prolong the festive season and prevent food waste. Here are four creative ideas:
Roasted vegetable soup
Do you have leftover roasted vegetables? Turn them into a delicious smooth soup. Mash the vegetables, add stock and herbs, and in no time you have a flavourful soup that is as festive as your Christmas dinner.
Christmas quiche
Small scraps of meat, cheese and vegetables are perfect for a savoury quiche. Mix them with eggs and some cream, pour into a pie tin and bake in the oven. This way, you give those leftover ingredients a second life in a delicious meal.
Luxury salad with a twist
Leftover turkey or ham? Combine it with fresh lettuce, nuts, bits of cheese and a dressing of olive oil and lemon. A fresh, crunchy salad that still has just that touch of Christmas.
Bread pudding with fruit
Old bread and leftover Christmas cake can be transformed into a sweet bread pudding. Add milk, eggs, cinnamon and possibly some pieces of fruit. Bake in the oven until golden brown and you have a delicious dessert.
Free recipe booklet
Looking for more ideas? Making something tasty with leftovers is easy with the delicious leftover recipes by Jetske van den Elsen, Eric Corton and Yvette van Boven, among others!
Download the free leftover recipe booklet. Or ask ChatGPT for the tastiest surprising recipes. This way, you will turn every leftover into something special and prolong the festive flavours.
- Intro text: Festive and sustainable! Make your Christmas shopping greener with these practical tips for conscious shopping.
Christmas is a time of conviviality, but also a period when a lot is bought and wasted. By buying consciously, you can enjoy festive Christmas without a big impact on the environment. Here are some tips for sustainable shopping.
1. Buy locally
Support local shops and markets. By buying locally, you reduce the distance products travel. This means less transport, less CO2 emissions and less damage to the environment. Moreover, you often find unique gifts that you won't find in big shops.
2. Choose sustainable products
Choose gifts that are long-lasting, reusable, or made from recycled materials. Organic products, such as chocolate and wine, are also a conscious choice. These products often have a smaller carbon footprint and come from suppliers who act fairly. So you can be sure you are making a positive impact!
3. Avoid unnecessary packaging
Many Christmas products are over-packaged. Choose products without plastic or in recyclable packaging. Be creative with wrapping; use fabric or reusable bags instead of wrapping paper. This not only saves waste, but also gives your gifts a unique look!
4. Plan your Christmas meal smartly
Buy your food consciously. Buy no more than you need, and choose seasonal and local produce. This makes food fresher, tastier and less harmful to the environment. Moreover, you reduce the chances of having leftovers.
5. Give experiences as a gift
Not everything has to be tangible. Give an experience as a gift, such as a dinner, a day out, or a creative workshop. This will create lasting memories without leaving any waste behind.
With these small changes, you can make a big impact. Celebrate a cosy Christmas that feels good and does good for the world around you!
- Intro text: The lights are on, the Christmas tree sparkles... but what if a bauble breaks or the lights stop working? Don't panic! Discover our handy tips for separating Christmas waste smartly and sustainably.
The holiday season is just around the corner! It is the time of cosiness and beautifully decorated houses. Will you also decorate your home in Christmas spirit? As you pull out the beautiful Christmas decorations, it can just happen that a bauble falls or the Christmas lights stop working. No worries! We will help you with tips on where best to dispose of this and other Christmas waste, so you can celebrate the festive season without worries.
1. Broken baubles
Your first thought of a broken bauble might be the bottle bank, but that's not true. Broken baubles have a different melting point to packaging glass. That is why they belong in the residual waste. Separating glass can sometimes be tricky, because did you know, for example, that broken (wine) glasses and oven dishes should not go in the bottle bank either? These also belong in residual waste. We have a handy overview for you to see which glass is allowed where. Still in doubt? Then use our handy separation guide to see what you throw away where.
2. Broken Christmas lights
Christmas lights are electronic waste and can be properly recycled. Hand it in at special drop-off bins in shops, such as DIY or electronics shops. Or take it to the recycling centre using your environmental card. Many shops also take old bulbs in when buying new ones. This way, they stay out of residual waste and everything is recycled properly.
3. Net around Christmas tree
Are you bringing a real Christmas tree into your home? There is often a net around it for easy transport of the Christmas tree. The net may be made of plastic, but it has to go with the residual waste. Why? Because otherwise the net gets stuck in the sorting installation. Other waste also gets stuck in the nets.
4. Carcass of a turkey
Are you going to enjoy a delicious turkey? You can throw that carcass in the GFT container. This is because it falls under vegetable, fruit and garden waste. This way, you are helping to create a better environment!
5. Oasis (floral foam)
Are you getting rid of your Christmas arrangement after Christmas? Oasis, also known as floral foam, is made of a type of plastic and has to go in the residual waste. So it cannot be disposed of with vegetable, fruit and garden waste. Real twigs from Christmas trees, for example, can go in the organic waste.
6. Wrapping paper
What to do with wrapping paper? If you can tear it, you can throw it away with the paper. Can't tear it? Then it is not paper and you throw it in the residual waste.
7. Candles
You can reuse stubs and leftover candle wax to make new candles. You can also return old candles to the charity shop. Do you no longer use them? Then throw them away with your residual waste.
8. Tubs of tea light
Have you been burning tea lights? Dispose of the tub as empty as possible with your plastic packaging, metal packaging (tin) and drinks packaging (pmd)*.
These tips will ensure that your holidays are not only cosy, but also sustainable. Happy holidays!
* Note: How you dispose of pmd depends on where you lives. Residents of high-rise and low-rise houses without a pmd container may dispose of pmd and residual waste together in a collection container for residual waste in the neighbourhood. This waste is collected separately and later sorted by machines.
- Intro text: Is your paper container full and you don't know where to take the paper? No worries! Find out what you can do here.
Is your paper container completely full? Don't worry, there are plenty of ways to dispose of your waste paper and cardboard properly. In this article, we give useful tips as well as explain how you can help make paper collection run smoothly.
5 tips to properly dispose of your waste paper and cardboard
A full paper container can be annoying. You want to dispose of your paper and cardboard neatly, but what can you do when your container is full? Make use of these handy tips and make sure your paper ends up in the right place.
1. Make smart use of space
Do you have large cardboard boxes? Flatten them well and make them small before putting them in the container. This will fit in a lot more, and prevent the container from filling up quickly.
2. Take paper and cardboard to a nearby collection container
There are collection containers for paper and cardboard in the neighbourhood. These are often located near shopping centres, flats or housing estates. Here you can dispose of your paper and cardboard free of charge. This is useful when your own container is full.
3. Apply for an additional paper container
Do you often have more paper and cardboard than will fit in your container? No problem. Then you can get an extra 240-litre paper container for free applications.
4. Take paper and cardboard to the waste disposal site
You can also bring paper and cardboard to the environmental centre free of charge. Don't forget to bring your environmental card.
5. Make arrangements with your neighbours
On the day the paper containers are emptied, you can dispose of the paper in your neighbour's container, if there is still space there. Always discuss this with your neighbours beforehand. Make sure you make everything small and put it neatly in the container. This keeps the neighbourhood tidy and neat!
Together we keep the neighbourhood clean
Do not put paper or cardboard next to the collection container. Apart from the high clean-up costs for this offence, it also causes litter in the neighbourhood. Paper quickly gets wet and dirty or blows through the neighbourhood like litter. By returning paper and cardboard in the right way, together we keep the neighbourhood tidy and clean.
- Intro text: After a fun Sinterklaas evening, what do you do with all that wrapping paper? Not everything can just go with the waste paper. We share some smart tips on how to dispose of the paper in a sustainable way and reuse it.
After a successful gift night, the floor is full of wrapping paper. Before you take everything to the paper bin, it is a good idea to think about what can really be recycled. After all, not all wrapping paper belongs in the waste paper bin. We share some smart tips on how to dispose of paper in a sustainable way - and even some ideas on how to reuse it.
Recognise recyclable paper with the "tear test"
A simple way to check whether gift paper is recyclable is the "tear test." Try tearing the paper: if it tears properly, it may go in the paper bin. Paper types such as one-sided laminated paper or more luxurious wrapping paper with a slight glossy coating (e.g. an aluminium-like coating) can also go in the waste paper bin. Can't you tear the paper? Then it belongs in the residual waste. This also applies to wrapping film, which should always go in the residual waste.
Give wrapping paper a second life
Instead of throwing the paper away immediately, you can save the best pieces and reuse them. Here are a few creative ways to give paper a second life:Wrapping presents again: The sturdier pieces of gift paper can be saved for future gifts. By folding pretty papers neatly, you will have instant material for the next birthday or party.Crafts with children: Use leftover paper for craft projects. Make collages, decorate cards, or cut out shapes for Christmas decorations. This gives the paper a second chance AND it's fun to do together.Making your own decoration: You can easily make decorations such as flags, stars, or paper flowers from gift paper. Perfect for keeping the festive atmosphere in your home for longer.
Wrapping presents differently
Want to wrap gifts in an even greener way? Then consider a wrapping cloth, such as a nice piece of fabric or a scarf. No need to use disposable material. A wrapping cloth is ideal for all kinds of gift sizes, can be used over and over again and gives your gift a beautiful luxurious look. It gives wrapping an extra personal touch and contributes to reducing waste.
Recycled and raw gift paper, or even cloth wrapping cloths, are sustainable alternatives that make Sinterklaas, and other celebrations, even more eco-friendly. With these tips, you'll ensure that clearing out your gift-wrapping is fun and eco-friendly. Happy holidays!
- Intro text: Black Friday is the time to buy new products. But what do you do with all the packaging material and cardboard? Instead of throwing it away, you can reuse it in a smart and sustainable way. This way, you help the environment as well as giving the material a second life.
Black Friday is the time for many people to buy new products cheaply. Did you buy something new because you couldn't borrow it or find it second-hand? Then chances are that it came with a lot of packaging and cardboard. Instead of throwing it away, you can reuse it smartly and sustainably. This way, you help the environment as well as giving packaging a second life. After Black Friday, use these tips to deal with your packaging in an easy and responsible way.
1. Re-use it for your own shipments
Need to send something yourself, such as a gift or a return shipment? Many packaging materials, such as air cushions, bubble wrap and cardboard, can be reused. This will not only save you money, but also reduce waste.
2. What belongs where? Recycle it properly
What belongs where? Many packaging materials such as paper, cardboard, bubble wrap and polystyrene can be recycled. Therefore, make sure you dispose of the materials separately and in the right bin.
Paper
If you can tear paper then it can go with the paper. Can't? Then it should go with the residual waste.
Cardboard boxes
Cardboard boxes belong in the waste paper. Make them flat and small, then more will fit in the container.
Styrofoam
Put small pieces of Styrofoam in the residual waste. Do you have larger pieces? Then take them to the waste disposal site with your environmental pass.
Air-cushion bags and bubble wrap
Air cushions and bubble wrap are allowed with your plastic packaging, metal packaging and beverage containers (pmd*).
3. Turn it into something new
Give packaging materials a second life. Bubble wrap, for example, is perfect for craft projects with children or to keep fragile items safe. Use cardboard to make storage boxes or creative decorations. Please note that as soon as craft materials are painted, glued or combined with other materials, they cannot be recycled. Even if you segregate waste carefully, painted or glued craft materials should go with the residual waste. So try techniques that require little or no glue, such as folding or attaching with string. Choose unpainted cardboard, recycled paper or fabrics that can be reused. If you need glue, choose durable glue.
4. Ask for less packaging material
Did you know that many online shops allow you to specify that you want to receive less packaging? Or maybe you can collect your order locally, so packaging material is not needed at all. It's always good to ask shops about their packaging policy, especially during busy periods like Sinterklaas, Christmas and Black Friday.
*Do you live in a high-rise or low-rise building without a pmd container? Then throw away pmd and residual waste together in a collection container for residual waste in the neighbourhood. This waste is collected separately and later sorted by machines.
