First day of trash strike: Amsterdam expects overflowing containers, stench

Trash processing workers are striking today, Tuesday, and Wednesday against the government’s plan to increase the waste incineration tax. During these days, waste will be collected, but processing will come to a standstill. Amsterdam expects that this will result in overflowing containers, with the litter and stench that accompany that.

The strike is organized by the trade union FVN against the government’s plans to increase the waste incineration tax by 567 million euros. According to the union, the government wants to use this hike to compensate for the income lost by abolishing the levy on single-use plastics. FNV fears that this will make it cheaper to process Dutch waste abroad, putting Dutch sorting companies, recyclers, and end processors at risk.

The union said it opted for a “public-friendly” strike. Netherlands residents can still take their waste out, and the bin will be emptied, but the processing will wait.

Amsterdam still expects problems. During the strike, Amsterdam’s waste processing company AEB will accept no trash, something that Amsterdam generates a lot of. “We cannot rule out that full containers, additional placements, stench, and litter will increase,” alderman Hester van Buren informed the city council, according to AT5. During the previous trash strike in 2023, the streets in Amsterdam's city center quickly filled with garbage.

The municipality collected more waste in the run-up to the strike and urged locals to keep their trash with them during the strike as much as possible. The city will also temporarily store excess waste at a location on the Nieuwe Hemweg.

Van Buren is also against the government’s plans to increase the waste incinerator tax. She called it crazy that the processor, and not the producer, has to pay for the garbage. “That could lead to higher costs for residents in the long term,” she said. “Amsterdammers are disproportionately affected by this.”