What is diftar again?
Emmen introduced diftar in 2021 in response to the ever-increasing costs for processing and incineration of waste. Doing nothing is not an option, the municipality believes. Because in that case the costs must be passed on to the residents.
Within the new waste system, citizens pay a fixed rate and a separate amount for emptying their container (7 euros). Residents of high-rise buildings pay 2 euros per garbage bag that they dump in an underground waste bin.
Paying each time should encourage better divorce. Because a lot of waste that does not actually belong in the gray container (such as fruit remains or PMD waste) nevertheless ends up there.
The system immediately proved to be a success from the start. In one year, the share of residual waste per inhabitant fell from 177 to 120 kilos, a drop of 40 percent. But the counter has now stopped.