Every day we throw away all sorts of things as waste. Plastic, food scraps, cardboard, glass, an old table, you name it. To us, it is waste, we don't want anything more with it. But much of this waste can very well get a second life, it is not waste. Reuse is good for the environment. Reuse means we don't have to throw away as much as waste. And it saves raw materials and energy needed to make new products.
Those who recycle waste contribute to a clean and beautiful living environment, for themselves and future generations. That is the ultimate goal of a circular economy: a world where we reuse discarded products, a world with as little waste as possible. Buying products that are sustainably packaged, or buying packaging-free products contributes significantly to this.
We will work even harder to have less waste in the coming years. For that, we need your help.
From 232 to 100 kilograms of waste
The municipalities of Gorinchem, Molenlanden, Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Vijfheerenlanden, together with Reinigingsdienst Waardlanden, drew up a raw materials plan last year. This plan is called the Strategy paper 2021-2025: Together for a waste-free and clean municipality. This new plan sets out how we will reduce the amount of residual waste. We want to go from 232 kilograms in 2020 to 100 kilograms per person per year by 2025.
Of the 232 kilograms of residual waste per inhabitant in our municipalities, 162 kilograms can be recycled into new products. VGF becomes compost or green gas, old paper becomes new paper and plastic is recycled into granules that are raw material for all kinds of new products.
Every 162 kg we recycle means 162 kg less waste to incinerate. Less waste is important for the environment as well as for your wallet. The central government's incineration tax makes burning residual waste increasingly expensive. This tax should contribute to the municipalities' target of no more than 100 kilograms of residual waste per person per year.
70 per cent is raw material
Per inhabitant, we 'produce' 232 kilograms of waste on average in our municipalities. 162 kilograms of this are raw materials and not waste. 70 per cent of what we throw away as waste is reusable, this is over two-thirds. These are mainly plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons (pmd), vegetable, fruit and garden waste and food waste (gft) and paper and cardboard. Pmd, VGF and paper and cardboard are excellent recyclables into valuable raw materials. Throwing them away as waste means they will be incinerated, and then we will lose them forever.
Fairer cost allocation
In the coming months, we are working on a fairer way of allocating costs for waste collection and processing. This will take effect from 1 January 2023. You already know that good waste separation and less residual waste is better for the environment. Soon, you will have an influence on the amount of a part of your waste charges. This variable part is called the recycling rate. It is a new way of calculating waste charges. Do you separate your waste well and have little residual waste? Then your costs will be lower. Your municipality sets the amount of the waste disposal charges, i.e. the fixed part and the recycling rate.
[Update July 2022]
Due to scarcity of raw materials, materials and personnel, we have to adjust the schedule. We will submit this schedule to the board at the end of September. We assume the delay will be limited.
Getting used to it
Fairer cost allocation will only work if we ensure that collection containers for residual waste and the environmental centres are no longer freely accessible to everyone. From next autumn, we will therefore start working with access control. This will take some getting used to for many people. The municipalities and Waardlanden will help to implement the changes smoothly in the coming period. We will do this through information and education. We will explain what is going to change and why this change is necessary. We will also inform you on how you can separate your waste even better. This is how we work together towards a waste-free and clean region.
Want to know more?
Want to know more now? At http://www.waardlanden.nl/particulieren/over-waardlanden/nieuw-grondstoffenbeleid you will find the Strategy paper 2021-2025: Together for a waste-free and clean municipality, current developments and there will be a list of frequently asked questions along with the answers. If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to info@waardlanden.nl
Waardlanden is happy to answer them. Questions about separating raw materials can be put to environmental coach Nelleke, please send an e-mail to milieucoach@waardlanden.nl.