News item | 19-12-2025 | 15:45
State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Public Transport and Environment) makes the rules for cups and containers for food and drinks clearer and more practical. The aim is for the rules to be easy to explain and to work in practice. The adjustments follow signals from entrepreneurs and a motion from the House of Representatives. Consultations have also taken place with manufacturers of reusable cups and containers and of disposable variants.
Solving bottlenecks
In some places, the rules for disposable cups and containers are difficult, according to conversations with the sector. Aartsen: “For example, in places where you walk around a lot, such as in an amusement park. You order a cup of coffee there. From now on, the entrepreneur can choose reusable, but disposable cups are also allowed. They must then ensure recycling.”
At the same time, things are going well in other places. Aartsen: “In offices, for example, reusable cups have now virtually become the standard. This leads to a large reduction in single-use cups. That is great, because it helps us achieve our goal of reducing the use of disposable cups. So that is where we aim for reuse.”
Aartsen: “Where things are going well, we leave it as it is. And where necessary, we make adjustments. The point is that we have to find a good balance and give entrepreneurs the space to make choices where necessary.”
What are the new rules?
- For offices, companies and other organizations: reusable as standard will now apply here. The exception is abolished. Aartsen: “In concrete terms, this means that if you work in the office, you drink from a reusable cup. You can choose whether it is porcelain, glass, hard plastic or whatever. But in any case, there is no tower of disposable cups at the coffee machine in the office.”
- Places where you can eat or drink something on site, but reusability is more difficult: think of closed events, catering for on-site consumption, day attractions, (sports) clubs. Here, reusability remains the starting point unless the cups and containers are collected and recycled. Aartsen: “We give entrepreneurs more freedom of choice at these places. Take the Efteling, for example. They will soon be able to choose that families walking through the park will receive coffee and lemonade in a disposable cup. They will have to collect them again and recycle them.”
- Consumption on the go: entrepreneurs must offer reusable products for those who want them, but disposable products remain permitted. In April it was announced that the mandatory surcharge for disposable cups and containers will be abolished. Aartsen: “This gives space to fast-food restaurants where you pick up food, such as shawarma, to continue using disposable. And at the same time, anyone who wants to have the opportunity to have their own cup filled with coffee at the station before boarding the train.”
Rules designed for practice
Aartsen: “We are making the rules smarter and more practical, so that entrepreneurs do not get bogged down in paperwork but can do what they are good at: innovating and moving forward. We remain firmly committed to reuse, but without closing the door on recycling when that works better. This is how we keep the Netherlands moving: we reduce the amount of waste, make our living environment cleaner and give companies the space to invest, grow and develop new solutions. With this approach we are working on a strong and clean economy.”
The rules arise from the European Single-Use Plastics Directive, which aims to reduce the impact of single-use plastics on the environment. The Netherlands has already taken measures to reduce the use of disposable plastic cups and containers.
The new rules will formally come into effect in 2027. In the meantime, enforcement will be adjusted, allowing the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate to adapt to the new situation. Companies for which the rules change will have a year to prepare before enforcement takes place.