Plastic packaging waste in the Netherlands
Packforward - Packaging waste system in The Netherlands - plastic packaging
Collection
Who is responsible for plastic packaging waste collection?
Municipalities are responsible for the collection of plastic packaging waste in the Netherlands.
How is plastic packaging waste collected?
In the Netherlands plastic packaging waste from households has been collected separately since 2008. Bottles and flasks are not the only packaging materials being collected; virtually all rigid and flexible plastic packaging materials can be discarded in the collection bin or bag. The plastic packaging materials are usually collected alongside metal packaging and beverage cartons (PMD).
In the Netherlands plastic packaging waste collection differs per municipality. Depending on what they choose, municipalities can use source separation (bronscheiding) or post seperation (nascheiding). For source separation municipalities use either a separate plastic bag or dedicated mini-containers. If waste is post separated, plastic packaging is collected via residual waste and then offered to sorting centers that separate it into different waste streams. Around 90% of municipalities in the Netherlands uses source separation, the rest use post seperation or a mix of both systems (KIDV).
Deposit-refund
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has reached an agreement with the sector on the introduction of a deposit on small plastic bottles by 2021. For PET bottles that are 0,75 liters or larger the Dutch government has already introduced a deposit-refund system. More information on the deposit-refund scheme in the Netherlands can be found at the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund.
Pay as You Throw
The number of municipalities in the Netherlands that use a Pay as You Throw (PAYT) System is rising. The way in which systems are implemented differs considerably between municipalities. You can find an overview of the municipalities that have implemented a PAYT system and their different tariffs here.
Sorting
Material Specifications
Plastic packaging in the Netherlands is sorted according to DKR standards. These standards describe the material, indicate the minimum purity of the material, determine the maximum contamination and specify the delivery method. Within the specifications applied in the Netherlands, PET falls under DKR standard 328-1, PE under standard 329, PP under standard 324, films under standard 310 and mixed plastic under standard 350. You can find detailed descriptions of each material specification here.
Recycling
Design for recycling
The Packaging Waste Fund applies a lower fee for rigid plastic packaging which is sorted and recycled without impediments and which has a positive market value in 2020. Whether a packaging is sorted and recycled without impediments can be checked using the Recycle Check for rigid plastic packaging developed by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging. This institute has also developed a Recycle Check for flexible plastic packaging and further guidelines to improve the sustainability of various packaging designs, you can access them here.
The waste stage
The use of packaging materials is subject of European legislation. On 20 December 1994, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union introduced the Directive 94/62/EG (hereinafter: Directive) for packaging materials and packaging waste. This Directive was subsequently revised on 22 May 2018. The goal of this Directive is to limit the use of packaging materials and stimulate recycling, reuse and other useful applications for packaging waste.
All EU Member States are required to implement the Directive in their own national legislation. Every Member State has its own way of doing so. Packforward started to give an overview of the way the different Member States implemented the Directive, but the overview is not completed yet. You can find more information for the Netherlands, information about other countries will follow soon.
Despite the efforts made with regard to collecting, sorting and recycling packaging waste, new raw materials will have to flow into the packaging chain in order to safeguard the quality of the material and compensate for the loss of material in the chain. For a growing number of the new raw materials, steps are being taken towards a circular economy, e.g. by making use of biobased materials.