Amsterdam has most smashed trash bins of all Dutch cities as people hunt cans, bottles

The problem of damaged trash bins is especially noticeable in major cities, where so-called deposit hunters often pry them open to collect bottles and cans. This emerges from the results of the second National Trash Bin Count Day, during which hundreds of volunteers took 12,315 photos of bins in 114 municipalities. The findings show that 8 percent of bins in urban areas were damaged, compared to just 1 percent elsewhere. Amsterdam recorded the highest number of “problem bins,” making it the most affected city in the country.

Reports of open bins and increased litter have become more common since deposits were introduced on cans and bottles. While the situation seems to have improved somewhat compared to 2024, thanks to better-sealed bins, designated racks for deposit bottles, and more collection points, the organizers of the count, Dirk Groot (known as “Zwerfinator”) and Merijn Tinga (the “Plastic Soup Surfer”), point out that the number of return locations for deposit packaging has hardly grown since last year.

In April, a study conducted by IPR Normag for the Netherlands’ four largest cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague, estimates that deposit hunters, who open bins in search of bottles and cans, cause about 9.4 million euros in damage annually. Rotterdam alone accounts for roughly 2.3 million euros of this total.

Amsterdam has introduced several measures to tackle the problem: bins with locks or magnetic strips that close automatically, larger-capacity bins, and the removal of bins in high-traffic areas to prevent them from becoming sources of litter.

The Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) has mandated that 5,400 new return points for deposit containers be set up by early 2027.

A more in-depth analysis of the findings is expected later this year.