Many residents have questions about waste and raw materials policy, waste separation, and the waste disposal tax. This is understandable. Therefore, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about the waste disposal tax here.
Do you have another question? Ask us your questionWe'll do our best to answer your question as best we can. And by doing so, you'll help us add to this list of frequently asked questions.
At the end of each year, the municipal council determines the amount of the waste tax for the following year.
You will receive a notification from your municipality around February with information about the waste collection tax. You will then see this tax reflected in your municipal tax assessment.
Every household pays an annual waste collection tax to the municipality. This tax consists of:
The municipality of Vijfheerenlanden does not currently have a recycling rate and will decide on its implementation later.
More information about waste disposal tax can be found on your municipality's website. Click on the link for your municipality:
You can find the waste collection tax bill on your municipal tax assessment. You will receive this from your municipality in the first quarter of the year.
For the fixed part, your municipality looks at the size of your household:
Do you live alone? Then the rate for a single-person household applies.
Do you live with two or more people? Then the rate for a multi-person household applies.
For the variable part – the recycling rate for residual waste – your municipality looks at your living situation.
Low-rise building with containers near the house
You pay each time you throw away a bag of residual waste in the residual waste collection container.
High-rise buildings (apartment, flat, upstairs apartment) or low-rise buildings without a PMD container
You pay each time you dispose of residual waste and PMD together in the residual waste collection container. This waste is then sorted by machines.
Rural area with chipped residual waste container at home
You pay per time your residual waste container is emptied.
More information about the rates and your situation can be found on the website of your municipality.
For residual waste collection containers, you open the lid with your environmental pass. Each time you open the container with your pass, a collection is registered at your address.
Residual waste containers delivered to your home contain a chip. Waardlanden reads this chip when emptying the container. This records how often the container has been emptied at your address.
The registration is linked to the home address, not to a person.
Your tax assessment shows how often you disposed of residual waste in the previous year. If you believe the number is incorrect, you can file an objection with your municipal tax authority.
If you disagree with the number of offers because it doesn't match your own records, you can file an objection. Your municipality's website provides information about how and within what timeframe you can file an objection.
The recycling rate is the amount you pay to your municipality for each residual waste collection. This can be:
throwing away a garbage bag in a residual waste collection container; or
having your chipped residual waste container emptied at home.
The more often you dispose of residual waste, the higher this portion of the waste disposal tax becomes. So you don't pay per kilo, but per time you dispose of residual waste.
The municipality of Vijfheerenlanden currently has no recycling rate. The municipality will decide later if and when this will be implemented.
Residual waste containers don't have a weighing system. Installing a weighing system on all containers is technically complex, expensive, and prone to malfunctions. These additional costs would ultimately have to be covered by residents.
That's why a system was chosen that records how often residual waste is delivered. This is simpler, cheaper, and less prone to malfunctions than weighing by the kilogram.
Diftar is the abbreviation for a waste system with differentiated rates (different tariffs). The implementation varies by municipality. The recycling rate is a type of Diftar, specifically for residual waste. It means you pay each time you dispose of residual waste. Different municipalities use different names, but the principle is the same: the more often you dispose of residual waste, the more you pay.
The residual waste recycling rate is intended to encourage people to separate their waste more effectively. This reduces residual waste, which is better for the environment and prevents the rising costs of incinerating waste. The goal is to recycle as much waste as possible and use fewer new materials. This is better for the environment and your wallet.
Experiences in other municipalities show that residents with a recycling rate have less residual waste and more waste is collected separately.
Our municipalities use the recycling rate because it's a proven way to reduce residual waste and recycle more raw materials. In large cities like Utrecht and Amsterdam, with many high-rise buildings, separating waste is often more difficult. Municipalities in these cities sometimes opt for a different approach.
But it works well in our region. More and more municipalities are opting for the recycling rate for residual waste because of the good results.
The municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, and Molenlanden introduced the recycling rate for residual waste on January 1, 2024.
The municipality of Vijfheerenlanden has not yet decided whether and when the recycling rate for residual waste will be introduced.
Do you often throw away small bags of residual waste? Then save them until one larger bag is full. You can collect small bags in a larger bag or bin (maximum 60 liters) and take them away all at once. You can also arrange with neighbors to take turns taking out residual waste.
The environmental pass has a chip with a unique number. This number is linked to your home address, not to a person. The pass does not contain any personal information. The pass belongs to your home and therefore stays with you when you move.
The registrations are used to calculate the recycling rate. Your municipality and Waardlanden handle this information with care.
If there's a malfunction and the lid doesn't open, you won't be charged. Don't place your garbage bag next to the container. Try another nearby collection container or take the bag home with you and try again later, once the malfunction has been resolved. Placing waste next to the container is not permitted. The cost is €206,50 per violation.
Would you like to report a malfunction or other problem? This helps us resolve it quickly. Please include the container number with your report. You can easily report this via the Waardlanden app or via waardlanden.nl/meldingen.
Did the lid open, but you couldn't put your garbage bag in the container? And did you hear the click? Then the offer may have been registered.
In that case, ask within five working days Submit a check to our customer contact center. Our customer contact center staff can verify whether your failed offer has been registered and correct it if necessary.
You can easily submit the application at waardlanden.nl/zelfregelen.
Every household pays a fixed amount. This allows the municipality to cover the costs it always incurs, such as the collection and processing of waste and raw materials, and the use of recycling centers. These costs also apply if you have little residual waste.
You have no control over the fixed portion of the waste disposal tax. The amount varies by municipality and depends, among other things, on household size.
For more information about the waste tax structure, please contact your municipality.
The costs Waardlanden incurs for waste collection and processing are rising. Therefore, Waardlanden's rates are indexed annually. This means they are adjusted to reflect higher costs, such as wages, fuel, and processing.
However, the waste collection tax residents pay doesn't just cover Waardlanden's costs. Municipalities determine which costs are included in the waste collection tax and how they distribute these costs among households. Therefore, rates can vary from municipality to municipality.
If you have any questions about the amount and structure of the waste disposal tax, please contact your municipality.
You can keep your residual waste costs low by preventing waste and separating it properly. The less residual waste you have, the less often you'll throw it away, and the lower your costs.
Read tips here about less waste and better separation.
You have no influence on the fixed part of the waste disposal tax.
Do you have medical waste resulting from a chronic illness or disability? Then you may be eligible for compensation. Contact your municipality for more information about the medical waste compensation program in your municipality.
Residents of Vijfheerenlanden only pay a fixed waste disposal tax and have no influence on the costs for residual waste.
It's possible to request an exemption from the recycling fee. Many municipalities offer programs for individuals with large amounts of medical waste, litter pickers, and those with insufficient income.
Contact your municipality for more information about these schemes.
Although waste disposal charges are rising, it's important to prevent waste and separate it properly. These higher costs are due to factors such as rising processing costs and higher taxes on incinerating residual waste. Proper recycling of waste such as organic waste, PMD, and paper is also becoming increasingly difficult and expensive, as it contains more pollutants. While you can't do anything about rising costs and inflation, properly separating your waste helps make recycling more efficient and reduce costs. Your contribution is therefore important for the environment and helps keep costs manageable.
In other municipalities where a recycling fee for residual waste has been in place for years, this system appears to be working well. Figures from Rijkswaterstaat show that municipalities where residents pay for residual waste have less residual waste and more waste is separated. The system also raises awareness of the environmental impact of waste, the costs, and the reuse of raw materials.
Yes, there are. These are also proposed in the strategy document, such as additional containers for glass and paper in the neighborhood, providing a small organic waste bin for the kitchen, and additional information about the benefits and necessity of waste separation. These measures alone are not enough to achieve the circular ambitions.
Experiences in other municipalities show that residents with a recycling rate:
less residual waste; and
offer more raw materials separately.
National studies support this perception. Municipalities with a pay-per-collection system have, on average, less residual waste and lower waste management costs than municipalities without such a system.
If we apply the principle of equality, every liter of residual waste costs the same. It doesn't matter whether you put this waste in a skip or a collection bin.
According to the principle of equality, a 60-litre waste deposit in a neighbourhood container should therefore cost one-quarter of the rate for offering a 240-litre container.
No, there are three different recycling rates in the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Molenlanden: for high-rise buildings, for low-rise buildings and for rural areas.
Residents of high-rise buildings are more likely to put out their garbage bags than residents of low-rise buildings. These have containers for PMD, paper/cardboard, and organic waste at their homes. Residents of apartments, flats, and upstairs apartments pay a lower rate per garbage bag placed in the residual waste container than residents who have containers at their homes.
Municipalities determine the amount of waste collection tax, including the fixed portion and recycling rates. For more information about waste collection tax, please contact your municipality.
The recycling rate does not apply to residents of Vijfheerenlanden. This municipality will decide on the implementation of the recycling rate later.
Paying per kilo is technically more complex and therefore more expensive to purchase and maintain. These are costs you, the resident, bear. Also, collection containers with a weighing system malfunction more often. That's why we've chosen to charge per time you throw away a garbage bag or have your residual waste container emptied.
Furthermore, paying per time is less susceptible to misuse. If someone else puts waste in a residual waste container while it's out on the street, this won't affect the amount you have to pay. The waste isn't weighed.
You can dispose of used disposable diapers separately for free in special baby diaper bags at recycling centers. This reduces residual waste and reduces recycling fees. Parents can also choose to use washable diapers, which reduces residual waste even further.
Incontinence products and other medical waste are not allowed in the special diaper bags. In the Waardlanden municipalities, this is considered medical waste. People who cannot reduce their residual waste due to medical waste may be eligible for a compensation program. Your municipality will assess eligibility. Residents can contact their own municipality for more information and to apply for compensation.
No. Litter pickers don't have to pay to dispose of collected litter themselves. As a litter picker, you can apply for a special litter pass. With this pass, you can open the residual waste containers free of charge to dispose of collected litter. You only pay for your own household residual waste.
Send an e-mail to milieucoach@waardlanden.nlOur environmental coaches will process your application and send you a registration form and the terms of use.