Environment pass

You pay to your municipality waste collection for the collection and processing of waste and raw materials. If you do not have a residual waste container at your home, you will use the collection container for residual waste in your neighbourhood. Unfortunately, many others also disposed of waste in the collection containers. Think of businesses and residents of neighbouring municipalities who do not pay waste collection fees to your municipality. As a result, your municipality had significantly more residual waste per inhabitant than comparable municipalities. To counter this, your municipality closed the collection containers for residual waste. You can only open the residual waste collection container with your environmental pass.

The environmental pass is part of the new waste and resources policy of the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Molenlanden and Vijfheerenlanden. 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 by 2025. To meet this target, more waste separation is needed.

If we do nothing to reduce the amount of residual waste, costs will rise in the coming years. Because, for instance, residual waste disposal fees and central government taxes continue to rise. With the new policy, we try to keep the costs per inhabitant manageable. Less residual waste is therefore important for the environment as well as for your wallet.

Nationwide, the goal is to have zero residual waste by 2050. All waste should be reprocessable into raw materials by then, and preferably even sooner. If we avoid residual waste and reuse more, we won't need to extract as many new materials from the earth. Because everything we burn is gone forever and cannot be reused.

When Gorinchem municipality tried to introduce the badge system in the city centre years ago, it was still in its infancy. The technology was inadequate then, resulting in many technical glitches. Residents were often unable to dispose of their rubbish bags as a result. Technology has continued to improve over the years. And very many other municipalities in the Netherlands already work with a card system. It helps reduce the amount of residual waste. And that is exactly what the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Molenlanden and Vijfheerenlanden want to achieve. We want to go from 232 kilograms in 2020 to 100 kilograms per person per year by 2025.

If we do nothing to reduce the amount of residual waste, costs will rise in the coming years. Because, for instance, residual waste disposal fees and central government taxes continue to rise. With the new policy, we try to keep the costs per inhabitant manageable. Less residual waste is therefore important for the environment as well as for your wallet.

Nationwide, the goal is to have zero residual waste by 2050. All waste should be reprocessable into raw materials by then, and preferably even sooner. If we avoid residual waste and reuse more, we won't need to extract as many new materials from the earth. Because everything we burn is gone forever and cannot be reused.

Yes, since 1 January 2024 the municipalities of Gorinchem, Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Molenlanden have been calculating the waste disposal charges in a new way. You have an influence on the amount of part of the waste charges. A part is fixed and a part is variable. This variable part is called the recycling rate. Do you separate raw materials well and have little residual waste? Then your costs will be lower than if you have a lot of residual waste. Your municipality takes into account people with a lot of medical waste, litter pickers and people with insufficient income.

The recycling tariff does not apply to residents of Vijfheerenlanden. This municipality will decide on the recycling tariff after an evaluation on the effects of the other measures.

Find here the answer to more frequently asked questions about the waste levy and recycling rate. 

The environmental pass has a chip with a unique number linked to your home address. There is no personal information on the pass. The environmental pass belongs to the house. That is why you leave the environmental pass at home when you move.

To record the use of collection containers, we use address-related environmental cards. Linking address data with emptying data is personal data according to the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). We are only allowed to record this data under special conditions. This has been determined by the Personal Data Authority (AP) in the Arnhem waste card issue. However, these or similar purposes must have been established and communicated for this purpose, and a number of principles and principles must be met. For instance, personal data must be processed lawfully, properly and transparently.

There is no personal information on the passes. The pass gives an address paying waste collection fees access to a collection container and the environmental centres.

If you live in the outlying area, you will have a residual waste container with chip at your home. Your environmental pass does not give you access to the residual waste collection containers in the districts and cores.

We get the addresses that pay waste materials from the municipality. And yes, we need this information to provide our services. About how we handle this data, we enter into a so-called processing agreement.  

It is not possible to refuse, but you do not have to give permission either. It is important to note that it only concerns an address and not the person living in the property.

You can use your environmental card to open all the waste collection containers in your municipality. Since 1 January 2024, the recycling rate applies every time you dispose of a rubbish bag in the residual waste collection container.

If you live in the outlying area, you will have a residual waste container with chip at your home. Your environmental pass does not give you access to the residual waste collection containers in the districts and cores.

The recycling tariff does not apply to residents of Vijfheerenlanden. This municipality will decide on introducing tariffs after an evaluation on the effects of the other measures.

A built-in detector in the collection containers allows us to remotely track how full the containers are. This allows us to further improve planning and empty the containers on time. Are you near a full container before we are, or is there a malfunction? Then try another waste collection container in your neighbourhood. There is always one within walking distance. Putting rubbish next to the collection container is not allowed.

We apply urgent administrative enforcement. And charge for the cost of removing the waste and thus eliminating the unsafe and unhealthy situation. The advantage is that the surroundings are left clean, as pollution is cleaned up immediately. The cost of this is set at €206.50 per violation. 

It may happen that your card or the card reader does not work. In that case, try your pass first at another residual waste collection container. There is always another one within walking distance. If your card does not work there either a notice on our website or in the Waardlanden app.

Do not leave the bag at the collection container, but take it back home. Putting rubbish next to the collection container is not allowed.

We apply urgent administrative enforcement. And charge for the cost of removing the waste and thus eliminating the unsafe and unhealthy situation. The advantage is that the surroundings are left clean, as pollution is cleaned up immediately. The cost of this is set at €206.50 per violation. 

Yes. You get one environmental pass for your home address. Put the pass in a convenient place so that everyone at your address can use the environmental pass. Handle the environmental pass carefully and do not allow others to misuse it. Do not lend out your house key or debit card.

Do not make a hole in the environmental pass, the pass will no longer work.

Leave your environmental pass in the house for the new residents. The pass belongs to the home address. If your new home is again in one of Waardlanden's municipalities, you will be given the previous occupants' environmental pass.

If you have lost your environmental pass, you can apply for a new environmental pass. It is important to report the loss as soon as possible. We will block your old pass and you will receive a new environmental pass within 5 working days. Call our customer contact centre on weekdays between 08:30 and 17:00: 0183 68 11 11. We are happy to help.

Please note: the environmental pass belongs to the property. You therefore leave the pass behind when you move.

If your environmental pass is broken, you can apply for a new environmental pass. We will then block your old broken pass and you will receive a new environmental pass within 5 working days. Call our customer contact centre on weekdays between 08:30 and 17:00: 0183 68 11 11. We are happy to help.

Please note: the environmental pass belongs to the property. You therefore leave the pass behind when you move.

To prevent abuse, we are not allowed to give out pass numbers by phone or e-mail.

The environmental pass belongs to the house. So the pass stays behind when you move house.
If there is no pass in the property of which you are the new occupant, please report this immediately. We will then block the old pass linked to your address and you will receive a new environmental pass. Call our customer contact centre on working days between 08.30 and 17.00: 0183 68 11 11. We are happy to help.

The environmental passes comply with the national standard for waste passes and registration systems, STOSAG. Unfortunately, misuse remains possible. It is therefore important that you make sure your environmental card does not end up in the wrong hands. You don't lend out your house key or debit card just like that. So handle your environmental pass carefully and do not give others the opportunity to misuse it. Someone who misuses the environmental card is liable to punishment.

Have you lost your pass? Then report it and apply for a new pass. We will then block your old pass immediately. Call our customer contact centre on working days between 08.30 and 17.00: 0183 68 11 11. We are happy to help.

We also check the pass numbers for peculiarities. If a pass is suddenly used many times more than average, we can investigate.

No, you cannot make holes in the environmental pass. There is a chip in the environmental pass which will then be damaged, causing the environmental pass to stop working.

Tip: Put the pass in a pass holder on a keycord or with unwinder/catrol.

The pass holders can be bought from various online shops and bookstores, for example.