typically.nl

Disposal of trash in Nederland is highly dependent on the gemeente (municipality). In general: the smaller the city, the less frequent trash pickup is, and the more likely you’ll have a container in front of your house. In cities, people put the trash bags on the street. Recyclebles are almost never collected, but the gemeente has containers for those on the streets.

Typical 'Kliko' trash container for residential waste

If you are in one of the smaller cities or villages of Nederland, you will see these grey containers on trash pickup day. The concept is pretty simple: people throw their waste in it, the gemeente comes on a regular day in the week and empties it. For this, you pay afvalstoffenheffing (waste tax) to the gemeente. Most people have two containers: a green one for food spills, garden debris and other compostable material, and a grey one for the rest (minus toxic waste, of course).

In some gemeentes, a chip is built into the container and you pay by the kilo. Some gemeentes have milieupolitie (environmental police) walking around on trash day, inspecting the containers and handing out fines if you put your tea baggie in the grey container, or vice versa.

Usually when your gemeente has the green/grey stuff happening they will pick up either container every other week. Usually not a problem since they hold lots of waste, but in summer the smell coming out of the green container gets, ehm, ‘interesting’ to say the least. At least we’re saving the planet.

Trash bags on the streets of Amsterdam

If your gemeente is one of the bigger cities, say Maastricht or Amsterdam, you put your trash bags directly on the pavement on trash day. Typically, it will then be picked up every week or even twice weekly. The vuilnismannen (waste disposal professionals) are usually very lenient towards trash: if it fits in a bag and is not too heavy, it’ll go in the truck. Depending on where you live, they usually haul away boxes, matresses, broken TVs and unwanted family members as well.

There is one twist: some gemeentes (such as the aforementioned Maastricht) sell the trash bags themselves. They are taxed, so people pay no monthly taxes, but instead a smaller tax per empty bag. In theory, the vuilnismannen only pick up the gemeente bags and leave other trash on the pavement. Milieupolitie then comes in and fines offenders. The theory is great, but Nederlanders would not be .nl if they didn’t:

• bring trash to other gemeentes
• dump trash with their neighbours
• lie, steal and cheat in order to avoid paying
• dump their trash on the street anyway.