Amsterdam to stop collecting loose garbage bags in an attempt to fight litter
The city of Amsterdam will stop collecting individual bags of garbage put on the street. According to the city, these bags cause litter. “They're destroyed by vermin or people searching for deposits.” Instead, the city will focus on more underground trash containers or other alternatives where this is impossible. The collection of garbage bags will be gradually phased out between now and 2030, the city said in a press release.
This will largely affect the Amsterdam city center and several streets in the Zuid district, where residents still leave their garbage bags on the street for collection.
“Torn open bags cause a lot of litter in many parts of the city,” said responsible alderman Hester van Buren. “We prefer to place underground containers for this. For areas in the city where these containers cannot be placed, we are looking for alternatives.”
Underground containers are mainly a problem in the city center, where space below ground is limited and many bridges and quays aren’t strong enough for the heavy vehicles that empty he containers. The municipality will select the “most suitable collection system for each neighborhood.”
For example, the city will experiment with disposing of waste via the canals and will soon launch two temporary drop-off points on the water in the Red Light District. The 9 Straatjes district is experimenting with waste collection by appointment, where residents and businesses make an appointment for their trash to be collected from their homes by electric cars and cargo bikes.
The phasing out of garbage bag collection may mean that locals will have to walk further to drop off their waste. The municipality is also increasing the maximum distance to garbage collection points from 150 to 250 meters’ walking distance in the city center.
Last month, the Dutch capital also announced that it would fight the litter caused by people searching through trash for cans and bottles to return for a deposit by removing trash cans from the streets - a plan that sounds so illogical, it even reached The Guardian.
According to the city, before the deposit scheme, bins were placed to prevent litter. Now, they are left open and waste falls out onto the street, causing litter. The city already reduced the number of bins at several shopping streets and parks, and according to the municipality, the results are promising. “There is less litter and the area looks cleaner.”
