From Monday 12 September, employees of Area Cleaning will check PMD containers for content during collection rounds in the municipality of Coevorden.
According to the municipality, the containers for plastic, metal and drink packaging (PMD) regularly contain waste that does not belong there. The PMD waste is then unsuitable for reuse and is incinerated. This ultimately costs residents extra money.
At the end of June it was announced that Emmen, Hoogeveen and Coevorden are missing out on tons of residents who do not separate their waste properly: last year 2.7 million kilos of waste were rejected. Emmen takes the cake here: almost 37 percent of the PMD waste offered was rejected. In Coevorden that percentage is 29 percent, followed by Hoogeveen with 17 percent.
Coevorden is the second municipality where Area will check containers for content. Checks have been carried out in Emmen since May.
Is waste properly separated or not?
The PMD container – intended for household plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons – also contains inflatable swimming pools, children’s toys, buckets or garden hoses.
During the inspection, so-called precursors will check the PMD containers for correct use. They then attach a green, orange or red card to the container.
A green card means that the household has properly separated and put the correct waste in the container. An orange card means that the household has thrown in too much wrong waste and is given a second chance. Later in the week, the container will be emptied again if the wrong waste has been removed.
If you have thrown the wrong waste into the container again, you will receive a red card. The container will then only be emptied during the next collection round – provided the wrong waste has been removed.
Lower waste levy
If the waste is disposed of correctly, reuse is possible and less waste needs to be incinerated. This is good for the environment, but in the long run it will also reduce waste levies – something that households feel in a pinch.