Household waste up to 8 kilograms per person after years of decline

Dutch people threw away a total of 8.2 billion kilograms of household waste last year, Statistics Netherlands has reported. That amounts to 459 kilograms of organic waste, old paper, glass, and other rubbish per person, eight kilograms more than in 2023. After years of decline, the amount of collected household waste has increased slightly again. Statistics Netherlands could not explain the rise.

The three largest waste streams were fine household residual waste, organic waste, and old paper and cardboard, accounting for 60 percent of the total.

The remaining household waste consisted of waste that is collected separately, like glass, textiles, and PMD waste (plastic, metal, drinking cartons), and waste that residents bring to the recycling center, such as bulky household residual waste and rubble. Slightly more waste per person was collected than in 2023 for most of these waste streams.

Urban municipalities usually collect more residual waste than less urban municipalities. This is because urban areas more often choose to separate their waste afterward.

In less urban areas, more organic waste (gft) is collected than in urban areas. According to Statistics Netherlands, this is partly because people in these areas more often live in houses with gardens.