Types of waste

The separation of specific household waste is a legal obligation in the Netherlands. You must separate the following categories: vegetable, fruit and garden waste (VFG waste), plastics, metals and drinks packaging (PMD waste), small chemical waste (SCW waste), glass, waste paper and cardboard, textiles, white and brown goods, renovation waste, preserved wood, bulky garden waste, asbestos and asbestos-containing waste, bulky household waste, household residual waste and scrap.

VFG and Food waste (VFG/F)

How do we process VFG and Food waste?

Vegetable, fruit and garden waste and food waste (VFG/F) is processed in a sustainable manner by the City of Amstelveen. In addition to compost, 'green gas' is also produced from VFG/F. The 'green gas' is created by first fermenting the VFG/F in the fermentation plant of the Meerlanden waste-processing company in Rijsenhout. This sustainable gas is supplied to the natural gas network. The VFG/F is then processed into compost. Compost is used as a soil conditioner in agriculture and horticulture.

Collection VFG and Food waste

Approximately 27 above-ground VFG containers are available for flats/apartments. These are only intended for the so-called high-rise buildings. VFG/F is collected once every two weeks. VFG/F must not be pressed or frozen, otherwise it will not be removed from the container. You can loosen up the VFG waste with a rake, for example.

Use countertop containers, paper bags and biodegradable bags

Vegetable, fruit and garden waste (GFT) and food waste (E) are preferably collected in a countertop container and disposed of loose in your GFT/E container. If you still prefer to use a bag, a paper bag will be the best option. Alternatively, this may be a biodegradable bag (with a logo). The biodegradable bags (with a logo) are, however, not really convenient, as they cannot be easily distinguished from plastic bags by the recipient.'

What waste can be disposed of in the VFG/F-container?

• Vegetable and fruit residues and peelings
• Potatoes, potato peelings, bread, dough, rice, pasta
• Food waste, cooked and uncooked, leftovers
• Dairy products such as cheese
• Tea bags and coffee pods
• Egg, fish and meat residues, including bones
• Gravy and frying fat (solidified)
• Nut shells and other shells such as from mussels and eggshells
• Loose tea, coffee grounds (paper filter may also be included)
• Biscuits, candy, chocolate, nuts, seeds, snacks
• Flowers and plants
• Small/fine trimmings, foliage, cut grass and leaves
• Branches, stumps, trunks with a maximum diameter of 10 centimeter. Branches, stumps and trunks that are too large and too thick can be taken to the Waste Collection Station free of charge.

What waste must not be disposed of in the VFT/F-container?

• Packaging of any type of material such as storage containers, textile bags, collection bags
• Plastic bags or sacks
• Drinks packaging for dairy products and fruit juices
• Cheese crust
• Coffee cups
• Deep-frying fat and oil
• Chewing gum
• Flower and plant pots, pottery
• Stone, pebbles, gravel, sand, soil, clay
• Fertilisers, pesticides, anti-root fabric, hydro grains
• Beams, timber, metal
• Excrement and manure from large animals, such as dog, cat, horse and cow
• Cat litter and bird-cage sand
• Hair, fluff
• Dead animals and offal
• Pots, stones, timber, metal
• Metals such as iron, tin, aluminium
• Glass
• Large pieces or quantities of paper, paperboard
• Products and packaging made of plastics, including bioplastics or compostable plastics
• (Disposable) products and packaging of natural materials such as plant pots, trays, plates, cutlery and straws of bamboo, coconut, palm leaf, corn, (sugar) cane or straw
• Textiles
• Cork
• Ashes and coal from smokables, fireplace, stove or barbecue
• Tobacco, cigarettes, cigarette ends, filters
• Nappies/diapers, tampons, sanitary towels, incontinence material
• Wound dressings, bandages, medication
• Vacuum-cleaner bags and their contents
• (Fruit) stickers
• Coffee mugs of any material
• Pruning waste from the Japanese knotweed
• Branches, stumps, trunks (thicker than 10 centimeter in diameter).

Collection of garden waste

An appointment can be made online with the City for the collection of garden waste, such as branches. Crossbeams, fences, tiles, soil and sand are not garden waste, you can have those collected as bulky waste. Payment must be made advance. After payment and processing of your application, the amount paid may not be refunded if, for example, you decide not to offer bulky waste after all.

• Place the garbage on the roadside at 7:30 a.m. on the agreed day.
• Dispose of the waste in practical bundles of up to 40 x 50 x 100 centimeter.
• A bundle may not be heavier than 30 kg.
• Do not place the bundle on top of or next to an underground container, against a tree or light mast.

Plastics, Metals and Drinks packaging (PMD)

PMD waste means Plastic packaging material, Metal/Cans and Drinks cartons. You can collectively dispose of PMD in the PMD bags provided free of charge by the City or by using your own transparent plastic bags. The packaging does not have to be rinsed out, but it does have to be empty. Caps may remain on the bottles and drinking cartons.

PMD can be disposed of in the PMD container (low-rise) or in the underground PMD container (high-rise).

What is included in PMD?

• Plastic packaging (this is plastic waste that contained a product when you bought it)
• Plastic bags, sacs and bread bags
• Pasta and rice bags
• Candy bags
• Packaging of meat products and cheese (without food scraps)
• Foil for magazines and advertising leaflets
• Packaging (so-called blisters) for example for toothbrushes, leads and screws
• Empty butter tubs, sauce trays, cheese spread, pâté or coffee-milk tubs
• Empty vegetable, fruit and salad trays or bags, french-fries trays
• Empty cups for yoghurt, custard, whipped cream, ice cream
• Lids of jars of peanut butter, chocolate paste and so on
• Empty squeeze bottles for sauces such as ketchup and mayonnaise
• Empty bottles for detergents and cleaning products
• Empty bottles for e.g. shampoo, shower gel, bath foam and soap
• Empty tubes for e.g. gel, cream, body lotion and toothpaste
• Bottles for oil and vinegar
• Bottles for soft drinks, water, dairy, vinegar, etc.
• Jars for gel, medicines, vitamins
• Plastic plant pots
• Boxes of disposable contact lenses

Metal packaging (tin)

• Cans (soup, pasta sauce, fruit and vegetables)
• Beverage cans (for soft drinks, beer, etc.)
• Empty steel syrup bottles
• Aluminium foil
• Aluminium food bowls
• Coffee capsules (without the coffee)
• Cover foils of e.g. custard and yoghurt cups
• Medicine packaging (all aluminium)
• Empty tealight cups
• Beer and soft drink caps

Drinks packaging

• Cartons for fruit juices, water and wine
• Soft drink cartons
• Empty cartons for (butter)milk, custard and yoghurt
• Drinking cartons
• Empty cartons for soup and pasta sauce

What is not included in PMD?

• Face masks and gloves
• Crisp bags (the plastic and metal foil cannot be separated)
• Coffee capsules (containing coffee)
• Packaging with contents
• Paint buckets and cans
• Aerosols (deodorant, whipped cream, mousse, nitrous oxide)
• Packaging of chemical waste such as make-up and kit tubes
• Styrofoam such as fast-food packaging, meat dishes and filling material for packaging
• Packaging material with tin foil on the inside (crisp bags, coffee-capsule bags or vacuum-packed coffee, etc.). This cannot be separated on the separation belt
• Embossing strips of medication or chewing gum
• Wrappers of butter and margarine
• Hard plastic such as garden chairs and toys
• Shopper bags
• Agricultural plastic
• Housewares and utensils (buckets, drying rack)
• Loose cardboard, boxes and other paper (this may be disposed of in the paper bin)
• Ostomy and dialysis appliances
• Mesh bags of oranges or tangerines, Christmas trees et cetera

PMD bags are available free of charge at:

• City hall, Laan Nieuwer Amstel 1
• Community centre Alleman, Den Bloeyenden Wijngaerdt 1
• Community centre De Bolder, Groenhof 140
• Community centre Kastanjelaan, Kastanjelaan 21
• Community centre Middenhof, Dr. Willem Dreesweg 155
• Community centre 't Open Hof, Burgemeester Haspelslaan 129
• Community centre Pluspunt, Smeenklaan 1
• Community centre Westend, Westwijkplein 3
• Community support centre MOC, Lindenlaan 75
• Dorpshuis De Nesse, Pastoor van Zantenlaan 33, Nes aan de Amstel
• Library at Stadsplein, Stadsplein 102
• Library at Westwijk, Westwijkplein 1
• Meeting centre De Meent, Orion 3
• School garden Bankrasflora, Jeanne d'Arclaan 6
• VBU / DUWO, Uilenstede 108
• Villa Randwijck, Bourgondischelaan 3
• Villa Randwijck, Catharina van Clevepark 10
• Waste-collection station, Grutterij 26

Glass

Glass can be used over and over again in order to make new glass. This saves valuable raw materials. Glass can be disposed of in the underground bottle banks in your neighbourhood or at the waste disposal station. Float glass (large sheets of glass) can be taken to the waste-disposal station. Glass may be placed in the underground bottle bank with the lid and any scraps of the contents.

Bottle bank

Due to noise pollution, please dispose of glass in the bottle banks between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

What cannot be disposed of in the bottle bank?

• Earthenware (plates, cups, jars etc.)
• Crystal glass
• Lamps
• Opal glass (white, opaque)
• Mirror glass
• Fluorescent tubes
• Window glass (panes)
• Refractory glass

Bulky household waste

Bulky household waste is all waste that is too large or too heavy to be presented to Waste Management as residual household waste. New products can be created by separating bulky waste upon delivery. This saves raw materials and energy and results in less environmental pollution. You can deliver bulky household waste by yourself free of charge at the waste collection station, Grutterij 26, 1185 ZW Amstelveen. Here you can separate your bulky waste into different containers. The waste-collection station is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Do you want to have your bulky household waste collected?

You can have your bulky household waste collected at a fee. In that case your are asked to make an appointment with the City. If you make your appointment online, you will receive a € 2 discount on the call-out charges. Residents with an Amstelveen card can have their bulky household waste (maximum 1m³) collected once every two months free of charge by the City.

Rules for the disposal of bulky household waste:

• On the agreed day at 7.30 a.m. (i.e. not the evening before), the waste can be placed on the pavement at your home (not on your own property, not near an underground container or against a tree or light pole, next to a tree, next to a car or other obstacle).
• The waste must be disposed of in handy bundles of up to 40 x 50 x 100 cm.
• A bundle may not be heavier than 30 kg.
• No cans or buckets of paint, oil, etc. must be included in the waste. You must take these to the waste-collection station by yourself or make a small-chemical waste notification (free of charge) for this purpose.

Renovation waste

Renovation waste is not collected at home. You can dispose of up to 1 m³ per month free of charge at the waste collection station. Renovation waste comprises soil, stone, glass and other waste that is released during the renovation of your house or garden. If large quantities of waste are released during renovations, you can rent a container from a contractor or use the Big Bag of Do-it-yourself stores. For material containing asbestos, see the Asbestos section below.

Small chemical waste (SCW)

Small chemical waste (SCW) includes products which, if not collected separately, are harmful to the environment or pose safety risks to citizens and collectors. Some products are even reusable. Chemical waste can be recognised by a special symbol on the packaging: a crossed-out waste container.

SCW products are divided into five groups:

Household

• Batteries
• Energy-saving lamps
• Fluorescent lamps
• Liquid drain unclogger
• Lamp oil
• Petroleum
• Pesticides/insecticides

Do-it-yourself

• Paint, polish, mordant
• Wood preservatives
• Products used in dyeing such as white spirit, thinner, paint stripper, paint thinner, brush cleaner, brush softener and benzene
• Mercury switches

Medicines

• Medicines
• Mercury thermometers
• Injection needles

Hobby

• Photo fix
• Photo developer
• Etching fluids such as nitric acid or sulphuric acid
• Hydrochloric acid

Transport

• Batteries
• Petrol
• Engine oil, waste oil, brake oil
• Oil filters

Your small chemical waste can be delivered at the waste collection station. SCW environmental boxes have been supplied to all homes in Amstelveen for the storage of SCW. You cannot put this box in the street: it will be picked up at the door. Please make an appointment online with the municipality free of charge. If you are not able to do this online, please contact the City on telephone number (020) 540 49 11. Please return any remainders in their original packaging.

White and brown goods (E-waste)

White and brown goods are products such as refrigerators, TVs, audio and video equipment, computer equipment and other (small) electrical appliances. You can take them to the waste collection station by yourself or have them collected for a fee. You can make a digital appointment online with the City if you want to have them collected. Electrical appliances must be collected separately because they contain substances that are harmful to the environment. Parts can moreover be reused. This also applies to small electrical appliances, such as an iron, shaver or hairdryer. You can take these to the waste-disposal station.

You pay a disposal fee when you buy these devices. This disposal fee is charged separately on top of the product price. You can return your old device free of charge to the retailer where you buy a new, similar device. If you are not buying a new device, you can take it to the waste collection station.

Paper and cardboard

Waste paper and cardboard can be disposed of in the mini-container for paper or in underground paper containers in your neighbourhood. Cardboard must be shredded into small pieces otherwise the underground container will quickly become clogged. You may bring large quantities of paper and large boxes to the waste-disposal station. There you will find a container for this purpose.

Waste paper and cardboard is collected once every four weeks.

Waste paper and cardboard are important raw materials for the production of new paper and cardboard. Therefore it is not waste. Only waste paper that is collected separately from residual waste can be reused. Waste paper that ends up in residual waste is incinerated, which affects the woods. Without the use of waste paper, a great deal of wood is needed to produce paper.

What can be disposed of in the paper container?

• Gift paper
• Computer print-outs
• Egg boxes
• Envelopes
• Cardboard packaging
• Newspapers
• Paper packaging
• Advertising print
• Writing paper
• Telephone directories
• Magazines

What cannot be disposed of in the paper container?

• Wallpaper
• Carbon paper
• Photos
• Drinks packaging
• Laminated paper
• Kitchen rolls (dirty)
• Coffee filters (dirty)
• Contaminated paper (dirty)

Residual waste

Residual waste is all household waste that cannot be separated. You can dispose of residual waste in the grey container (only for residents in the outskirts), the underground residual-waste container or you can take it to the waste collection station. Since residual waste is a major burden on our environment, it is important to separate waste where possible. Most residual waste is incinerated.

What waste must be disposed of in the residual-waste container?

• Face masks and gloves
• Ashes from the ashtray or fireplace
• Ballpoint pens
• Cosmetics
• Foil
• Gravy
• Fat
• Salad oil and frying oil
• Cat litter granules
• Crystal glass
• Nappies/diapers
• Filler
• Glue
• Empty aerosols
• Vacuum-cleaner bags
• Bird-cage sand

Textiles

Clothing, textiles and shoes can be put in plastic bags in the underground textile containers all year round. Development organisation Sympany looks after the textile collection in Amstelveen in the underground textile containers. Four times a year, textiles are collected door-to-door by different charities.

What can be disposed of in the textile container?

• Clothing
• Footwear (pair tied together)
• Household textiles
• Sheets, blankets, duvets
• Sheets larger than 25 x 25 cm
• Bags/Belts
• Curtains
• Worn textile

On the Sympany website you will find all the locations in Amstelveen of the underground containers for textiles.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a collective name for a number of naturally occurring minerals, which are composed of fine fibres. Inhaling these fibres is the dangerous aspect of asbestos. The penetration of asbestos fibres into the lungs can cause serious diseases, such as lung cancer. For this reason, the government has drawn up legal rules for handling asbestos that apply to everyone. The asbestos must, properly packaged, be disposed of at the waste collection station.

Asbestos may have been used for:

• Insulation sheet
• Cement and corrugated sheets
• Tubes
• Planters
• Vinyl flooring (from the years 1968 to 1983)
• Old irons and ovens
• Hot plate

What are the requirements?

• As a private individual, you must in almost all cases apply for a demolition permit or submit a demolition report. Please contact the City by telephone no. (020) 540 49 11.
• Asbestos must at all times be wrapped airtight and fibre-tight in two layers of transparent PE (polyethylene) film with a minimum thickness of 0.2 mm (impact and tear resistant).
• The package must be labelled to show on the outside that it contains asbestos.
• Packaging and labelling must be done prior to disposal. Unwrapped asbestos waste will not be accepted.
• Maximum quantity may not exceed 0,5 m³ per address.
• You must put the packaged asbestos-containing waste into the container provided for this purpose.
• Make sure that no asbestos fibres get into or onto your car.

Make sure to take the following measures to prevent the release of fibre as much as possible and to protect your health:

• Wear a disposable coverall, disposable gloves and an asbestos filter for your nose and mouth.
• Make sure the material is wet, especially the fracture surfaces.
• Remove the material without breaking, sawing or damaging it.
• Wrap the material immediately.
• Wrap the asbestos in portable quantities.
• Pick up leftover asbestos material using a wet cloth. Wrap the cloth, disposable overalls, gloves and asbestos filter with the asbestos waste. Do not use a vacuum cleaner as this causes the fibres to spread.

Packaging material, stickers and dust masks are available from brothers Eveleens bv, Oosteinderweg 391 in Aalsmeer.

For more information please download the Asbestos guide of the central government

Costs

Costs are involved in the collection of different types of waste. Look for more information at: Fee schedule for the waste collection of households.

Relevant link

Further information about waste separation: www.milieucentraal.nl.