Waste is anything you throw away because you no longer use it. In the Netherlands, people separate their waste, such as paper, glass and plastic.
In the Netherlands, you separate waste such as paper, glass and organic waste (vegetable, fruit and garden waste, or 'GFT' in Dutch) from other waste (also called 'residual waste'). In many cases, you separate plastic waste too. This is important for a clean environment and for recycling. Recycling is the reuse of things and raw materials. Do not mix glass, paper, plastic and organic waste with residual waste. If you want to know quickly where you should put your waste, check the Afvalscheidingswijzer of Milieu Centraal.
Every municipality collects household waste. The municipality arranges home collection or provides a drop-off point nearby. You need to take bulky waste, such as furniture or electrical appliances, to a recycling centre, where the municipality will check whether this waste can be reused.
You pay waste tax to the municipality. This is money that you pay for the collection and processing of your waste. Every household pays this charge for the collection and processing of waste. The municipality uses the money raised from waste tax to pay for the costs of collecting and processing household waste. The rules and costs may differ from one municipality to another.
Businesses do not pay waste tax. They pay refuse collection charges if the municipality collects commercial waste.
You can take waste to a drop-off point or to a recycling centre. This is a place run by the municipality where you can safely leave your waste. Ask your municipality how this works so you can help to create a clean, litter-free neighbourhood.
Many municipalities provide special bins for plastic packaging. Ask your municipality how it collects plastic for recycling. Plastic bottles and glass bottles with a deposit can be returned to shops that sell them.
Separating waste is important for recycling. Paper, plastic and organic waste are collected separately. This way, we help nature and reuse raw materials. This is good for the environment and makes waste management easier.
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