Surrendering industrial waste

In the Netherlands, you must surrender industrial waste to authorised collectors or authorised waste processors. Authorised collectors transport the waste to authorised processors.

What is company waste?

Industrial waste, or company waste, is all waste generated by your business. Company waste includes:

• residual waste (waste remaining after recycling/reuse)
• construction waste, for example bricks, wood, plastic, insulation material
• chemical waste, for example, batteries, waste water containing cleaning products, medical waste, oil waste
• production residues (by-products generated in your production process, such as scrap metal and granulate)

Delivering waste to a collector or waste processor

You can find the authorised collectors and waste processors in the database of transporters, collectors, dealers and brokers (VIHB list, in Dutch) provided by the National and International Road Transport Organisation (Nationale en Internationale Wegvervoer Organisatie, NIWO).

Separating company waste

You are required to separate your commercial waste so that it can be recycled. Which waste you need to separate depends on your situation. Read our step-by-step plan for separating company waste or use our Company waste separation tool to learn more about disposing of company waste in the Netherlands. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) supervises the collection and processing of waste materials.

Company waste that is similar to household waste

If your industrial waste is similar to household waste, in some municipalities you can have it collected by the municipal authority. You also may transport it to the drop-off point of the municipal waste disposal site in your municipality. For this service you will have to pay waste collection charges. Keep in mind that the municipal authorities are not obliged to accept these types of industrial waste.

Delivering and testing waste materials at landfill sites

Waste materials that are reusable or combustible may not be disposed of at a landfill site. A ban on the disposal of these waste materials is laid down in the Decree on Landfill Sites and Waste Substances Dumping Prohibitions (Bssa, in Dutch). If you take waste materials to a landfill site, you must provide information about the composition of the waste. This information includes:

• the source and origin of the waste
• the process that created the waste
• the treatment applied to the waste
• where applicable, the hazardous properties of the waste

The deliverer or the landfill site manager may have to test the waste to determine whether it can cause soil or air pollution (in Dutch).

Port reception facility for ship’s waste

If you visit a port with a port waste reception facility in a seagoing vessel, you must deposit your ship’s waste at the facility before you set sail once again. This rule does not apply to vessels that have sufficient storage space to bridge the period until they reach the next port (that port must then have an adequate reception facility for ship’s waste). In that case, you need a Port Waste Exemption (HOI-ontheffing). You can apply for a Port Waste Exemption (in Dutch) to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).

It is illegal to discharge waste and solid bulk materials from seagoing vessels. Food and cargo residues are exempt under certain conditions. All ships of 100 GT (Grosse Tonnes) or more must have a ship waste management plan.

The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) checks whether seagoing vessels comply with the rules on the delivery and discharge of ship waste (in Dutch).

Used oil log

Do you navigate inland waterways in the Netherlands in a professional capacity? You must have a valid used oil log (olieafgifteboekje) on board your ship. In this log, you enter the quantity and type of waste produced by your ship. You can request a used oil log from the Inland Shipping Waste and Navigation Documents Foundation (Stichting Afvalstoffen & Vaardocumenten Binnenvaart, SAB).

You must transfer the ship’s waste to a recognised waste reception facility. The operator of the waste reception facility must record the receipt of the ship’s waste in the log. The waste delivery will also be recorded on the Ship waste form (Scheepsafvalstoffenformulier or S-formulier). The completed form must be kept on board your ship for 5 years.

Port waste plan

As a seaport administrator, you must draw up a plan that describes how you will collect and process waste from ships. You must submit this plan for approval to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). You also need to keep a record of the quantity of waste that you collect. You must keep this record for a period of 5 years.