Netherlands

The “Besluit beheer verpakkingen en papier en karton”, the Dutch packaging decree, makes producers and importers responsible for eco designing their packaging and for reaching material specific recycling targets. Producers or importers are defined as “he who in his profession or acting as a company in the Netherlands is:

• the first to hand over packed products to another;
• the first to import packed products and discards the packaging;
• orders to put his name or mark on the packaging;
• the first to hand over last minute packaging to the user.”

Municipalities are responsible to collect the waste of citizens within their borders based on the “Wet milieubeheer”, the Dutch environment act. Furthermore, they have to collect at least paper/cardboard, glass and plastic packaging separately.

As a result of the laws above, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the Association of Dutch municipalities and producers/importers have signed a covenant, the “Raamovereenkomst Verpakkingen” or packaging agreement. The first packaging agreement was signed in 2007, the second one in 2012 and is valid from 2013 until 2022.

Based on the desire of all parties, producers/importers guarantee that they will have one, robust organization that finances extended producer responsibility for packaging. Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen is this aforementioned organization. It has signed a contract with large producer association for fast moving consumer goods, non-food and industrial packaging, and by publication in the official Dutch state gazette (“Staatscourant”), this agreement is declared legally binding for all producers/importers.

Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen has taken over the responsibility from producers/importers to reach the recycling targets as published in the packaging decree.

Data 2011