Plastic

Starting 1 November 2009 the Municipality of The Hague will place 40 special containers around the city for the separate collection of plastic packaging. This measure should reduce the amount of rubbish sent to the incinerator and is better for the environment.

Residents of The Hague will be able to dispose of their empty plastic packaging in these specially-placed containers as well as at the city’s three garbage and recycling stations. The station on the Plutostraat (Binckhorst) will also accept other types of plastic.

What kind of plastic is allowed?
Most plastic which is thrown away in the regular garbage is packaging: plastic bags, yoghurt containers, shampoo bottles and the like. The 40 containers which will be placed at various locations around the city will be intended for this kind of packaging material. The collected plastic will be recycled to make new packaging and, for example, automobile parts, tennis balls and floor coverings.

Plastic Heroes
The Hague’s introduction of the separate collection of plastic packaging as of 1 November 2009 is in line with national policy. As of 1 January 2010 all municipalities in the Netherlands are required to collect plastic separately. A national campaign will generate publicity for the new regulations. Campaign posters with  ‘Plastic Heroes’ could already be seen earlier in 2009 in The Hague.

Residents of The Hague will soon receive more detailed information about how they can separate their plastic rubbish.

Follow-up

The Municipality of The Hague will evaluate the new measures for separating plastic packaging after six months. If the system is a success, the municipality will place more containers in the city.