Find out more information and tips on preventing, separating and recycling waste in our blogs or watch our videos. From smart recycling suggestions to creative reuse ideas. Find out how you can contribute to effective waste separation and why you should separate waste at home - or not! Learn more about the benefits of source and post-separation and how these methods help us towards a more sustainable future.
Don't miss anything? Keep an eye on this page. We are constantly updating it with new blogs and videos.
Blog 1: Proper waste separation. How do you do it?
Blog 2: What is the difference between source separation and post-separation?
Blog 3: From empty lighter to food scraps: what belongs to what?
Blog 4: Separating waste starts in the kitchen and bathroom
Separating waste properly. How do you do it?
Since the industrial revolution in 1750, humans became increasingly distant from nature. The production of goods grew immensely, as did the economy. But where more is produced, more waste is also created. A waste stream of paper, plastic, Styrofoam, food scraps, electronics, iron and so on. This is not only around people, but also around animals and plants. By separating our waste better, together we contribute to a better environment and a cleaner living environment. We explain why waste separation is so important and what you can do about it yourself at home.
Why separate waste?
Waste is a big problem. We are all producing more and more waste and this has a negative impact on the environment. It takes a lot of energy and raw materials to process waste. While others can still put your (old) stuff to good use. Or perhaps there are reusable materials among them that can be recycled. By separating waste and recycling old items, you will find that you have much less residual waste at home. This saves raw materials and energy. So less residual waste is good for the environment and for our wallets.
Separating our waste incorrectly also causes additional air pollution. Burning waste also releases a lot of CO2. This is bad for the environment and the climate. Animals also suffer because of waste in nature. They eat it and get sick. Or they get caught in it. By separating our waste properly, we can reduce these negative consequences.
Separating waste and raw materials: a breeze!
Anyway, we all know that separating waste is not usually anyone's favourite chore. So make it easy on yourself with the following tips:
- For example, put a separate bin for food waste and cardboard next to your bin. Don't have room for multiple bins in your home? You are not the only one. There are now many space-saving solutions on the market. For example, a duo waste bin called Vriflex.
- Make sure your waste bins are in the right places. For example, put a paper bin next to your desk.
- Make it visible. For example, put stickers on the bins showing what belongs in them.
Important for the environment
Separating waste is important for the environment and the future of our planet. By separating waste better, we can reuse raw materials and reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment. The tips above will make separating waste easier. Involve the whole family and make it a challenge. Together, we can contribute to a better world. Good luck with waste separation!
What is the difference between source separation and post-separation?
490 kilos of waste. That's what we throw away. Per person, per year. That's eight billion kilos of waste, per year, in the Netherlands. All this waste has to be processed, because as soon as we throw something in the bin, it has not disappeared. To process all this waste, different systems have been devised, including pre-separation and post-separation. There is often a lack of clarity about what these terms mean and why one is used in one place and another in another. We explain the answer to this to you here.
What is source separation?
By source separation, we mean that you as a resident separate your waste yourself at home. In this way, many more types of waste are separated than with subsequent separation by machine. The raw materials you separate at home can be very well recycled. Besides source separation, the terms home separation and pre-separation are also used.
What is post-separation?
In post-separation, a machine at a plant separates residual waste. This preserves valuable materials that we would otherwise have to incinerate. The machine can by no means separate all types of waste. Especially plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons (pmd) can be separated from residual waste with post-separation. Subsequent separation of biodegradable waste, paper, cardboard, packaging glass and textiles is technically not (yet) possible.
Which is better: separation at source or post-separation with a machine?
Which method is best depends on circumstances and location. Some municipalities choose source separation, others prefer post-separation, and still others opt for a combination of source and post-separation.
Post-separation with a machine always complements source separation. In low-rise houses, source separation produces the best quality raw materials. It is also the cheapest way to separate waste. In flats and flats, it is less easy to separate waste at home. There, post-separation with a machine is a better choice to still be able to recycle valuable raw materials such as plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons.
Why do municipalities choose a different way of collecting residual waste and pmd from flats, flats and upper dwellings?
Home separation with containers is very successful at low-rise buildings in our region. It produces the best quality raw materials. It is also the cheapest way to separate waste. For high-rise buildings, collection in collection containers for PMD is a lot more difficult. This is also a national picture.
By opting for post-separation of PMD from residual waste in high-rise buildings, we need to incinerate less residual waste expensively. And so we can recycle more. That is why post-separation of PMD is the best choice for high-rise buildings.
Less residual waste through better separation
Some people think that all the waste ends up back in one pile anyway. This is not true. This is because our collection trucks collect the same type of raw material each time. However, it is important that the waste is properly separated. GFT+e (vegetable, fruit and garden waste and food leftovers), for example, should be separated from other types of waste as much as possible. GFT+e is generally wet and dirty waste, making it stick to other waste. As a result, residual waste cannot be sorted as well during the post-separation process and plastic is burned unnecessarily. Separating VGF+E properly at source creates a drier residual waste stream, allowing us to achieve better results in post-separation. GFT+e is also not waste, but fully raw material for compost or biogas, among other things! So it is a shame to throw it away with residual waste!
Therefore, if different types of waste are mixed together, it cannot be recycled properly and unfortunately still has to go with the residual waste and is incinerated. This is unfortunate because raw materials are lost that way.
Tips to make waste separation easier
- Use separate bins for different types of waste, such as paper, gft, pmd and residual waste.
- Pay close attention to which waste belongs in which container. Not sure which container a product or material belongs in? The separation guide helps!
- Empty your packaging before throwing it away. This applies to pmd, for example, where it is important that the containers are empty to recycle them properly.
- If you are supposed to separate pmd, you should put plastic packaging with the pmd and not with the residual waste. This also applies to drinks cartons and metal packaging.
- Make sure your waste is properly separated before you throw it away. This way, we can make good use of raw materials and reduce the burden on the environment.
Separating waste: important for the environment and your wallet
It is therefore important to separate waste properly. There are two ways to separate waste: source separation and post-separation. In source separation, you already separate different types of waste at home, while in post-separation it is done in a factory. Both ways have advantages: post-separation serves convenience, but with source separation, raw materials are of better quality so they can be better recycled. The important thing is that we are all aware of the importance of waste separation and do our best to do it properly. In this way, together we can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable world.
Why is waste being imported from Italy?
Italy has insufficient capacity to process residual waste. After a major fire at Rome's largest waste treatment plant in 2022, the new plant is not expected to be operational until 2026. Until then, the residual waste has to go somewhere. The Netherlands has a large incineration capacity because of its high rate of separate collection and recycling (60%) of waste. This leaves less residual waste to be incinerated.
If Italy cannot incinerate the residual waste, it has to be landfilled, which is the most harmful to the environment. Landfills create methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times stronger than CO2.
It is therefore very important to separate and recycle waste and raw materials properly. By reducing residual waste and reusing and recycling more, we need to use fewer natural resources. What is burned once cannot be reused. If residual waste remains after separation, it must be incinerated. The cost of this will rise in the coming years, due to processing costs and taxes, for instance. Less residual waste is therefore good for both the environment and your wallet.
From empty lighter to food scraps: what belongs to what?
You are standing in front of the bin. With Styrofoam in one hand, and an empty lighter in the other. You open the residual waste bin. And then, then come the questions. Is this right? Shouldn't this go with plastic? Or should it go to the recycling centre? As you stare at the different bins, you don't remember. Why can't it be easier? It can. And we explain how.
When you recycle waste, you help create a clean and beautiful environment, for yourself and future generations. But separating waste can be challenging. That is why in this blog we explain how to find out which bin a particular product goes in, and give useful tips on how to separate waste a lot easier.
An organised system
In the Netherlands, we distinguish between different types of waste, some of which you may already use or be familiar with on a daily basis. These include plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons (pmd), vegetable, fruit, garden and food waste (gft+e), glass, residual waste, paper and cardboard. Other raw materials can be brought to the environmental street. You can dispose of bulky household waste, small chemical waste, white and brown goods, batteries, paint and textiles.
Unfortunately, there are also exceptions and catch-alls among the waste rules. For example, chewing gum cannot go with the VGF waste, while many people think so, and a large piece of polystyrene foam has to be taken to the waste disposal site while a small piece can go with the residual waste. But how do you know what goes where?
Which bin should what go in? Use the Waardlanden app!
Know which bin your waste belongs in? With the handy Waardlanden app you always have the separation guide to hand. Download the Waardlanden app on your smartphone. This way you will always have all information on waste and raw materials to hand. You will also find your personal waste calendar in the app. And you can quickly and easily submit reports or make a bulky waste appointment. With the Waardlanden app, you have everything at hand. Extremely handy!
By separating waste properly, you will keep less residual waste. But how can you do this easily? Did you know that you can start doing so in the kitchen and bathroom? In this blog, we explain a few different terms. What does biodegradable waste mean? What should go in residual waste? And where do (small) electrical appliances and batteries belong? We also give you useful tips on how to easily separate waste to reduce residual waste.
What is GFT?
Gft is fruit, vegetable and garden waste and comes mainly from the kitchen. Think vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags, bones and bones. But also flowers, plants, grass and leaves. Kitchen paper (without printing) with food leftovers or leftover gravy can also go in the organic waste container. But beware: packaging materials for meat, fish or cheese do not belong in the GFT waste. Do not throw plastic, paper or other waste in the organic waste. This interferes with recycling and can end up in nature and water via compost.
What is pmd?
Pmd stands for plastic packaging, metal packaging and beverage containers. This waste mainly comes from the kitchen and bathroom. Think of empty plastic bottles, cans, yoghurt packs, aluminium dishes, canning cans and plastic packaging of, for example, sauce or shampoo. Pmd consist of valuable raw materials from which new products are made.
Tips:
- It is important to only put packaging with the pmd. Hard plastic and Styrofoam belong at the waste disposal site or with the residual waste.
- Keep packages separate so that the plant can separate them.
- For canning jars, bend the lid inwards.
- Make sure packages are as empty as possible. Rinsing is not necessary.
- Fold drinks cartons flat and screw the cap back on. This saves a lot of space in the container.
- To avoid littering, it is important to collect pmd in a bag and dispose of it in a bin.
- Please note that plastic drinking bottles and beverage cans carry a deposit.
If you live in a low-rise building, you have a separate pmd container to separate pmd at home. Do you live in a flat, upstairs flat or in a low-rise building without a pmd container, such as in a neighbourhood like the Giessenburg and the Bilderhof or in the centre of Gorinchem, Leerdam or Vianen? Then, after the introduction of the environment card, you will dispose of pmd and residual waste together in the collection container for residual waste. All collection containers for PMD will disappear. We will collect this waste separately and our waste processor will separate your pmd and residual waste afterwards. So pay very close attention that you separate VGF waste correctly so that the wet flow of VGF waste does not stick to your residual waste. If you separate it correctly, pmd can be taken out of residual waste easier and better without, for example, food particles sticking to it. So you can be sure that your pmd is also recycled in the best possible way. If you empty and flatten the packaging properly, you can put more pmd in your residual waste bag.
Residual waste
Non-recyclable waste, such as nappies, cat litter, coffee cups and broken drinking glasses, can be disposed of at the residual waste (grey container or bin bag). This waste is then taken to a waste-to-energy plant. There, the residual waste is incinerated. This generates energy for electricity or district heating. After incineration, useful metals can still be recovered from the ashes. Some of the ash residue is used in road construction.
Do you live in a high-rise or low-rise building without a separate pmd container? Then your waste is separated by machine first: recyclable materials such as plastic, drink containers and metals are taken out.
(Small) electrical appliances and batteries, where can you dispose of them?
Batteries are covered by small chemical waste small chemical waste (kca). Batteries contain harmful substances that can damage the environment and even cause fires. Therefore, never throw them in the residual waste, but hand them in at shops, supermarkets and also at many primary schools. About 95% of the nickel, cobalt and copper in batteries can be reused. Batteries also contain other fully reusable metals, such as zinc, iron and steel. Zinc is used for gutters, steel for nails and steel wire, and nickel is used for new batteries.
You can hand in broken appliances free of charge when buying a new, similar appliance or at one of our environmental centres. The collected appliances are processed in an environmentally friendly way. Most materials, such as steel, aluminium, copper, plastics, glass, wood and PUR powder can be reused to make new products. Small electrical appliances can be handed in collection bins at various DIY stores, electronics shops and supermarkets. You can also take them to one of our environmental centres bring.
Tip: Give a still-working device a second life by sending it to a thrift shop or sell it over the internet. Or have a broken appliance repaired at a repair café. There are two exceptions: old refrigerators, freezers and clothes dryers should not be given away or sold because they use too much energy. It is better to take them to the waste disposal site (also look into the possibility of renting a free trailer) or have them collected by appointment.
Easy waste separation in different rooms
Separating waste does not have to be difficult. There are several places where you can easily start:
- Kitchen: Place a separate kitchen bin for VGF waste and a bag or bin for PMD and residual waste. Make sure you label these clearly so that everyone in the house knows where to put the waste and raw materials. Or use special solutions so you only need one bin for different waste.
- Bathroom: Place a small bin for empty shampoo and shower gel bottles and other plastic containers. Note: Razor blades are often made of plastic, but should be thrown in the residual waste. Of course, even better to avoid waste, consider a shampoo bar or reusable cotton pads.
- Living room and workplace: Set up a paper bin for newspapers, magazines and other scrap paper and cardboard. It is also possible to read your magazine or newspaper online. This reduces waste paper and thus avoids waste.
By separating waste at these places in the house, waste separation becomes a habit and you can easily keep it up.
Get started with the Waardlanden app!
With these handy tips, you can start separating waste in the kitchen and other areas of your home right away. Remember that proper waste separation helps to reduce residual waste and recycle more valuable raw materials. Still not sure where your waste and raw materials belong? Then check the Waardlanden app or our comprehensive divorce guide.
Together, we are creating a cleaner and more sustainable world!