What you can do against pesky seagulls
Seagulls can be annoying, particularly during brooding season from April to August. The municipality is trying to limit this nuisance as much as possible. Read what you can do yourself.
Seagulls are protected animals under the Nature Conservation Act. This needs to be taken into consideration when trying to limit the nuisance they cause.
Prevent litter
Litter attracts pests. This is what you can do to keep your neighbourhood clean.
- Do not throw any rubbish or food scraps on the street.
- Do you live in a neighbourhood where there are underground rubbish containers for your household waste? Do not leave any garbage bags or loose rubbish next to the containers.
Use the free yellow garbage bags
Is your household rubbish still being collected in garbage bags? Use the yellow garbage bags which the municipality provides for free from 1 March to 30 October. Seagulls are not able to peck open these bags as easily because they are extra sturdy. Place the bags by the curb on the day your household waste is collected. Seal the bags well.
Where to pick up yellow garbage bags
You can pick up the yellow garbage bags (1 roll per visit) at:
Scheveningen
- De Mallemok
Westduinweg 38A
2583 EH Den Haag - Het Kalhuis
Badhuisstraat 177
2584 HH Den Haag - Kommunika
Jurriaan Kokstraat 177
2586 SH Den Haag
Laak
- Stadsdeelkantoor Laak
Slachthuisplein 25
2521 EC Den Haag - Vaderscentrum Adam
Jonckbloetplein 20
2523 AR Den Haag - Bibliotheek Laakkwartier
Lineausstraat 2
2522 GR Den Haag
Centrum
- De Heldenhoek
Elandstraat 88
2514 GV Den Haag
Haagse Hout
Stadsdeelkantoor Haagse Hout
Loudonstraat 95
Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 12.30 hrs.- Wijk en Dienstencentrum Bezuidenhout
Johannes Camphuijsstraat 25
Monday to Thursday from 9.00 to 17.00 hrs.
Information desk in City Hall
City Hall is open:
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.30 to 16.30 hrs.
- Thursday from 8.30 to 20.00 hrs.
Information and Assistance Centre in Escamp
Leyweg (Escamp) is open:
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.30 to 16.30 hrs.
- Tuesday from 8.30 to 20.00 hrs.
Do not feed the birds
Do you have leftover bread? Do not feed it to seagulls or ducks but dispose of it in a bread collection bin. Tell people that they also should not feed seagulls. This way you prevent nuisance in your neighbourhood.
Adapt your roof
Seagulls like spots where their nest is sheltered at least on 1 side. Popular nesting spots for seagulls are: on a roof window in a sloped roof, on a dormer, on a flat roof (gravel roof), against a skylight, against the edge of a roof or behind a chimney.
You can make adaptations to your roof so that seagulls do not brood there:
- Place pins or anti-pigeon spikes.
- Stretch metal wire in parallel rows to each other across the entire length of the roof.
- Leave approximately 25 centimetres of space between each row of wire.
- Arrange for a company experienced in placing seagull nets to cover your roof. A net with a mesh opening of 75 millimetres is most suitable. Make sure that the net is stretched tightly, at some distance from the roof surface. Be sure that seagulls and other birds are not able to crawl under the net. If the net is not stretched tightly or it allows birds to crawl under it, the animals will become entangled in it.
Published: 17 March 2017Modified: 17 March 2021