Verpact has taken major steps in 2024 to improve the quality and quantity of packaging waste recycling in the Netherlands. Through new agreements with municipalities and strong national performance, the organization is reinforcing its commitment to achieving—and exceeding—European recycling targets.
Quality First: New Agreements for Cleaner Sorting
To meet both national and EU recycling standards, Verpact, in collaboration with VNG and NVRD, has introduced a new incentive system that directly links municipal reimbursements to the quality of collected packaging waste. The goal is to reduce contamination and improve the recyclability of materials.
Key measures include:
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Higher compensation for better separation: Municipalities that deliver cleaner PMD (plastic, metal, and drink cartons) will receive increased reimbursements from Verpact.
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Immediate targets: A 14% improvement in quality is expected in the first year, followed by 2% annual gains.
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Clear national communication: Residents will receive a standardized list of what does and doesn’t belong in PMD, helping reduce sorting errors.
These agreements ensure that every link in the chain—from households to recyclers—understands its role in producing cleaner waste streams. Only uncontaminated materials can be effectively reused, making quality a cornerstone of circularity.
Dutch Recycling Performance Surges in 2024
Verpact’s newly published 2024 Public Report reveals that the Netherlands has once again surpassed its legal recycling targets across multiple material streams, thanks to the collective efforts of citizens, businesses, and supply chain partners.
Highlights from the report:
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Overall packaging recycling rate rose to 76%, up from 75% in 2023, exceeding the legal target of 70%.
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Circular packaging recycling remained steady at 88%, well above the legal target of 73%.
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Beverage carton collection nearly doubled—from 24% in 2023 to 46% in 2024—due to expanded PMD collection and post-separation systems.
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Aluminum recycling jumped from 69% to 84%, reflecting improved sorting and recovery infrastructure.
Despite progress, the collection rate for deposit bottles and cans still falls short of the legally required percentage, indicating areas for continued improvement.
Leadership Perspective
Hester Klein Lankhorst, Chair of Verpact’s Board of Directors, stated:
“Thanks to the efforts of millions of Dutch people, small and large businesses, supply chain partners, and many others, more and more used packaging is being properly returned or discarded. This allows us to use these valuable raw materials to create new packaging. This is crucial for remaining independent of other countries and keeping the expertise in the Netherlands.”
Verpact’s dual focus on quality improvement and high recycling performance positions the Netherlands as a European leader in sustainable packaging management. With clear goals and strong collaboration, the path toward 2030 looks promising.