According to the latest figures from Dutch statistics office CBS, household waste per capita has hit an almost 30-year low.

In 2022, 8.1 billion kilograms of household waste was collected by municipalities, which works out at about 461 kilograms per inhabitant. This is the lowest figure since 1994, when 478 kilograms per capita were collected.

The amount of household waste, whether collected or handed in at recycling
centres, decreased by 8% since 2021.

CBS says in particular, less organic waste, clean rubble and soil and wood was collected, down to 112 kilograms in 2022 from 124 the year before. It attributes less organic and bulky garden waste to 2022 having less rain, which means fewer leaves.

The statistics also show that less rubble, soil and wood waste in 2022 is mainly due to less household renovation work, compared to the corona years of 2021 and 2020. More of that waste was collected in 2020 during lockdown when people were based at home and decided to engage in DIY – sometimes to the detriment of neighbourly relations, other research has suggested.

Less household residual waste and plastic, metals and beverage cartons was also collected in 2022 compared to the previous year.