In the Netherlands municipalities are free to decide which collection system they wish to use. In part, this is determined by the local situation. For example, in municipalities with a lot of high-rise buildings, where households have limited space available for separate waste bins, post-separation is (also) used.
Regulatory Documents
In the Netherlands, the Packing Decree 2014 (Besluit Beheer Verpakkingen) translates the European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) into the national context. The Framework Agreement for Packaging Agreement 2013-2022 (in Dutch Raamovereenkomst verpakkingen) is an agreement between the Dutch Government, the packaging industry and the Association of Dutch Municipalities on the implementation of the Packing Decree 2014.
Definition of Responsibility
Producers and importers responsible for putting more than 50 000 kilograms of packaging on the Dutch market in any given year are considered to fall under Extended Producer Responsibility. A more detailed definition can be found here.
Key Obligations
Producers and importers that are required to meet the Essential Requirements, the limits on heavy metal concentration levels, record and account for the amount of packaging released onto the Dutch market and register with the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen). You can find more information on obligations at Afvalfonds Verpakkingen or in the Factsheets of the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV).
National Recycling Targets
National recycling targets and results can be found on the page of the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen).
How are EPR Schemes for household packaging waste implemented?
In the Netherlands, the collective implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility is ensured by the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen).
Financial Responsibility
Producers and importers of packaging are legally obliged to pay the Packaging Waste Management Contribution. This is determined in the Waste Management Contribution Agreement (ABBO), that puts the obligation on producers and importers to cover the costs for the collection and recycling of packaging waste in the Netherlands. The Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen) establishes and collects the Packaging Waste Management Contribution.
Organizational Responsibility
In the Netherlands, municipalities are responsible for the collection and recycling of packaging waste. They are financially compensated by the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen) which collects fees from importers and producers of packaging.
Additional Parties involved in Packaging Waste Management
To manage packaging waste in the Netherlands, the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund has outsourced various tasks to other organizations. This includes Nedvang, which is responsible for data collection on collection and recycling of packaging waste and NederlandSchoon, which is responsible for preventing litter. In addition, the Netherlands Institute of Sustainable Packaging advises packaging producers and importers on sustainable packaging and Verpakkingsketen BV is looking into improving the sorting and recycling of plastic packaging. You can find more detailed explanations here.
Fees
The Packaging Waste Management Contribution is calculated on the basis of packaging type, material and quantity per calendar year. A detailed breakdown of rates can be found here.
Incentives for Sustainable Packaging Design
Incentives to promote sustainable packaging design are offered using modulated fees. In the Netherlands companies can benefit from these modulated fees if they use rigid plastic that is easily recyclable in the current waste management system. For more information click here. To evaluate whether a packaging is easily recyclable, the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund uses the recycle-check for rigid plastics developed by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV). In order to apply for a reduced fee a request to the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund must be submitted via PackTool (a tool for online registration).
How to fulfill EPR obligations?
Producers and importers that are required to meet Extended Producer Responsibility obligations must register with the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen). To find out whether something qualifies as packaging that falls under extended producer responsibility, this Packaging Catalogue provided by the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen) can be used.
Registering to a Collective Scheme
The registration form of the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund can be accessed here. A detailed guide on how to register packaging can be found here.
Symbols on your packaging
Voluntary: The Dutch Institute of Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) has developed a guide that helps producers and buyers of packaging to separate and dispose different materials adequately. The Weggooiwijzer (Disposal Guide), consists of icons that can be put on a packaging to show consumers how to dispose of the different waste-fractions.
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.
Subthemes
The netherlands has these underlying themes: