Many residents have questions about waste and raw materials policy, waste separation, and waste disposal tax. This is understandable. Therefore, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about waste and raw materials policy here.
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We still throw away too many valuable raw materials. In 2020, residents of our four municipalities produced an average of 223 kilos of residual waste per person. A large portion of this—think vegetable and food scraps, plastic, paper, and textiles—can be reused. Research shows that 75% of residual waste still consists of raw materials. By separating these more effectively, they can be given a second life.
And that's necessary, because raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce. That's why it's important that we use, share, and reuse things for longer. This way, we need to extract fewer new materials from the earth. And there's less residual waste. Moreover, processing residual waste is becoming more expensive every year. The Dutch government levies a tax on the incineration of residual waste to combat pollution. So, less waste is important for both the environment and your wallet.
That's why we've been working with a joint strategy since 2021. Our goal: a maximum of 100 kilos of residual waste per resident by 2025. With this policy, we're working together towards a future in which we manage waste more intelligently. Less waste, more reuse. And that starts with the choices we make at home.
We actively involved residents in the development of the waste and raw materials policy. Their wishes, motivations, and experiences were assessed in a resident survey in the spring of 2020. This survey yielded valuable suggestions. We supplemented these suggestions with our own suggestions and potential measures, and presented them again in a second resident survey in early 2021.
Several measures have been implemented since 2021. These include closing underground containers, the environmental pass, and, in three of the four municipalities, a recycling fee. In Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, and Molenlanden, residents pay per disposal of residual waste. This is not yet the case in Vijfheerenlanden.
Together with residents and municipalities, we have already achieved a great deal. By 2024, residual waste will have decreased to 133 kilos per person – a 40% reduction. Separation of raw materials has also increased. Residents submitted an average of 9 kilos more vegetable, fruit, garden, and food waste (organic waste), 6 kilos more plastic packaging, metal packaging, and beverage cartons (PMD), and 1,5 kilos more textiles.
Discover more in the interim evaluation of the strategic note 2021-2025.
The central government's circular economy objectives are laid out in the National Waste Management Plan (LAP3). All government bodies must take these into account when carrying out their waste management tasks. This means they must incorporate the central government's objectives into their local policy plans. There are no specific sanctions for failing to achieve these objectives. However, the central government has introduced an incineration tax for residual waste. This tax encourages municipalities to separate waste as much as possible and thus reduce residual waste. Municipalities that do not promote the circular economy and therefore generate large amounts of residual waste pay more incineration tax than those that do.
Because raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce, it's crucial that we reuse more. This way, we need to extract fewer new materials from the earth. To achieve this, we need to implement changes together at every stage of the supply chain: from the extraction of raw materials and the production of goods and (packaging) materials to the collection and processing of discarded goods and materials. If we consider the processing of goods and packaging in the disposal phase at the beginning of the supply chain, we can achieve a lot together. circular make a profit.
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) and the Association of Waste Management Companies (VA) already exert a great deal of influence at the national level on producers to bring reusable products and materials onto the market.
In the 2021-2025 strategic note We propose several measures to increase the influence of our municipalities on national discussion topics. Municipalities also have a responsibility to make every effort to collect and reuse as many raw materials as possible.
The separate collection and processing of paper and cardboard, packaging glass, and tin is already at a very high level. Around 85 percent of these materials are already recycled. The separate collection of plastic packaging is relatively new and still developing.
In the coming years, we'll be working to reduce waste. And we need your help!