Household residual waste

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Even after careful separation a large portion of our household waste remains as residual waste. In the Netherlands this residual waste averages 45% of the nearly 490 kg of waste each person produces each year. If this mountain of residual waste wasn’t processed effectively our society would face a major problem.

Each year we process a massive 850 ktons of residual household waste In our ten incinerators in Rozenburg and Duiven. We convert the waste into energy and, at the same time, we recover the remaining valuable raw materials, such as metals and minerals, from it. 

The Dutch municipalities are also working hard to achieve recycling targets for old paper, glass, plastic and organic waste. Currently over 55% of household waste is recycled. The remainder – a relatively large 45% – is called residual waste. In the larger cities the residual waste amounts to around 250-290 kg per resident per year.