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.
When you recycle waste, you help create a clean and beautiful 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!
Changes around waste in 2023-2024
We want to 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 paper 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. What the new policy means for you depends on where you live.
> Find out more about the changes around waste in 2023-2024
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
Less residual waste is important for the environment and for your wallet
If we avoid residual waste and reuse more, we need to extract fewer new materials from the earth. This leaves less residual waste that we need to have incinerated. Also, the national government's incineration tax makes burning residual waste increasingly expensive. So less residual waste is important for the environment and for your wallet.
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.
> Check out tips from our environmental coaches
Questions?
We can imagine that you have concerns and questions about the changes. This is understandable. That is why you will find answers to frequently asked questions on our website.