Understanding Trash and Recycling in the Netherlands
- Darien Wilson
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
You've cooked your first meal as a new resident in the Netherlands, and as you're cleaning up after dinner, you realize you aren't sure how trash and recycling work here. One meal's preparations resulted in:
plastic packaging
a paper box
food scraps
a used paper napkin
an empty can
and an empty glass bottle.
Where does it all go?
In the Netherlands, each of these things will end up in a different refuse container.
If you're new to the Netherlands, you may find the disposal of trash a bit confusing or even overwhelming at first. I know I did. And since putting things in the trash is a pretty common part of everyday life, it's something you'll need to figure out soon after you arrive.
Back in the U.S., we had basically two buckets: single-stream recycling and landfill-bound trash. In the Netherlands, recycling is still sorted by material type, and some of the categories could seem a bit unexpected. These rules can vary depending on your municipality, and even within a city, the rules can vary depending on whether you live in a single family home or an apartment/flat.
Here are the common waste categories where I live:
Restafval – General waste that ends up in the landfill: used tissues, vacuum cleaner bags, pet waste, diapers.
Paper – Paper and cardboard only.
PMD – Stands for Plastic, Metal, and Drink containers. This includes things like wax-coated milk cartons, juice boxes, and lightweight plastic or metal packaging. However, not all drink containers go here!
Statiegeld – These are deposit-based drink containers, such as soda cans and plastic bottles, marked with a statiegeld symbol. You pay a surcharge when you buy them and get the money back when you return them. Be sure to double-check your drink containers before tossing them in the PMD bin.
Green – Organic waste: food scraps, yard clippings, etc.
Glass – Bottles and jars.
Batteries, Light Bulbs, and Small Electronic Waste – These should never go in regular trash.
Textiles – Includes clothing, shoes, bedding, and even stuffed animals.
How and Where to Dispose of These Items
The exact method of disposal varies by location, so it’s a good idea to check with your neighbors or local municipality. Throughout much of the Netherlands, particularly in inner cities, waste goes in underground containers. In some areas, residents are given a fob to unlock these underground waste containers. But in other places, curbside collection is still standard.
Where I live:
Restafval, Paper, PMD, and Green bins are collected curbside. My local waste company has an app where I can enter my address and get a reminder the night before pickup, so I don’t forget to roll the bins out.
I pay for weekly grocery delivery, and the delivery service picks up my statiegeld containers and credits the amount to my next grocery bill. If you're not using delivery, most grocery stores have return machines for statiegeld items. Unfortunately, these machines often have long lines.
Glass is not picked up curbside. Instead, you’ll find glass recycling containers located throughout town. My trash app includes a map to help locate them. (Pro tip: tossing bottles in and hearing the glass crash can be satisfying after a difficult day.)
Batteries, light bulbs, and small electronics can usually be dropped off at collection points inside grocery stores. For larger items or household hazardous waste like paint or chemicals, contact your trash pick-up company for the address of your nearest recycling center, or "milieustraat." These recycling centers can also take things like broken furnture or appliances and construction waste.
My trash company collects textiles (clothing, shoes, bedding, stuffed animals) curbside once or twice a year. If I need to dispose of these items sooner, I can take them to one of several local textile drop-off points in my area.
If you need to dispose of something large and you don't have the ability to drive it to a recycling center, you can request a pick-up from your waste company. If you buy a new sofa or mattress, ask the company if they can pick up your old one when they deliver the new one.
Living in another country means learning and adapting to new systems, and that can be a bit overwhelming at first. But once you've settled in, you won't think twice about decisions like which recycling container things belong in.
Have Questions?
If you’re considering a move to the Netherlands and would like personalized guidance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
© 2025 Darien Wilson All Rights Reserved
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