Netherlands shifts waste glass recycling fees to weight‑based system

From 1 January 2026 the Dutch glass recycling sector will apply a new General Binding Declaration that changes the glass‑waste recycling contribution from a surface‑area basis to a weight‑based calculation. The Stichting Vlakglas Recycling Nederland (VRN) will collect the fee per kilogram of flat‑glass waste, aiming to fund the collection, sorting and reuse of glass and to support higher recycling rates.

In the municipality of Wassenaar, the local waste‑collection company Avalex plans to reduce the frequency of emptying the gray waste bin from weekly to once every two weeks. Residents have already faced rising waste‑tax charges, and the cut in service has prompted criticism from the local political group Hart voor Wassenaar, which argues that the measure lacks sufficient justification and will increase household costs without delivering the promised waste‑reduction benefits.