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. Yet almost all this waste can very well get a second life. It is not waste. Reuse is good for the environment. By recycling, we don't have to throw away as much as waste. So we save raw materials and energy needed to make new products.
Circular economy
When you recycle waste, you help create a clean and waste-free environment, for yourself and future generations. That is the ultimate goal of a circular economy. A world with as little waste as possible where we reuse discarded products. If you buy products that are sustainably packaged or packaging-free, you also contribute significantly to this. We will work even harder to reduce waste in the coming years. We need your help to achieve this!
Less residual waste: good for the environment and your wallet
Together with the municipalities, we encourage and help all residents with less residual waste and even better separation. To this end, the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Molenlanden and Vijfheerenlanden together with Waardlanden drew up a new waste and raw materials plan in 2021. This plan is called the Strategy Memorandum 2021-2025: Together for a waste-free and clean municipality. This 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 in 2025. If we prevent residual waste and reuse more of it, we need to extract fewer new materials from the earth. This leaves less residual waste to be incinerated. Also, the central government's incineration tax makes burning residual waste increasingly expensive. So less residual waste is important for the environment and for your wallet.
Find out more in the strategy note
Most waste is raw material
Some 70 per cent of our waste is raw material. Like plastic, paper, glass, garden waste and food scraps. If we separate this properly, we can reuse it. From VGF waste, for instance, we can make compost. From PMD we can make new packaging and products. And an old table gets a new life if we bring it to the recycling centre.
> Find out more about waste and resource separation
Tips and advice on waste separation?
Preventing residual waste and separating waste properly is sometimes quite a challenge. That is why our environmental coaches Ingrid and Nelleke are happy to help you with tips and advice.
Questions?
We can imagine that you have concerns and questions about policy and strategy. This is understandable. That is why you will find answers to frequently asked questions on our website.
> Find answers to frequently asked questions