Household waste increases: Innovative solutions on the horizon

By Alma Paunero Martorell

A new report from CBS Nederland reveals that in 2023, Dutch households generated over 8.1 billion kilograms of waste, marking a rise from the previous year. However, amidst this increase, the average waste per person actually decreased, thanks to population growth outpacing waste production.

Mixed results

In 2023, Dutch municipalities collected over 8.1 billion kilograms of household waste, a modest 0.5% increase from the previous year. Despite this rise, the average waste per person decreased slightly to 456 kilograms due to the growing population.

Focusing on specifics, the collection of vegetable, fruit, and garden waste (GFT) saw a noticeable increase. Municipalities collected 1.6 billion kilograms of GFT waste last year, averaging 91 kilograms per inhabitant. This marks an improvement from 1.5 billion kilograms and 89 kilograms per inhabitant in 2022, indicating a positive trend in organic waste recycling.

Conversely, household residual waste and packaging glass collection saw a decline. Residual waste dropped by 2% to 3.1 billion kilograms, or 178 kilograms per inhabitant. Packaging glass collection also fell to 354 million kilograms, averaging 20 kilograms per inhabitant. This decline was observed across most provinces, with Zeeland and Limburg leading in glass collection per person.

As the Netherlands navigates these waste management challenges, innovative solutions are emerging to reduce and recycle waste more effectively. Here are four notable innovations making a difference.

B’ZEOS seaweed-based packaging

In the Netherlands alone, the Dutch consume around 26 billion plastic packaging materials annually… for food packaging alone. Companies like B’ZEOS are trying to lower this number by creating a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic. Welcome seaweed-based packaging. 

Founded in 2018 by Guy Maurice, the company has developed over 20 formulations using seaweed extracts. These can be transformed into flexible films, rigid items, and more using standard plastic manufacturing processes. B’ZEOS has collaborated with Nestlé and secured several EU grants, aiming to eliminate disposable plastics and introduce their products to test markets next year.

B’ZEOS seaweed-based packaging is making plastic wrap a thing of the past

Planet Earth celebrated its Plastic Overshoot Day on July 28. This day marks the point when humankind can no longer adequately manage the amount of plastic waste produced annually.

BioBTX’s chemical recycling

BioBTX is making strides in chemical recycling by converting plastic waste into renewable chemicals. Based in Groningen, the company plans to launch its first commercial-scale plant, the PETRA Circular Chemicals Plant, which will convert 20,000 tons of mixed plastic waste annually. BioBTX’s technology offers sustainability benefits and strategic opportunities, providing high-quality chemicals for various applications like medicine and food packaging without altering existing production methods.

Sustainable chemicals from used plastic: according to BioBTX, there is no such thing as waste

Chemicals: we can’t live without them. We use them to make medicines, packaging, and batteries, among other things. But until now, the raw materials for chemicals have come from fossil sources, such as oil.

Grass paper initiative

Wageningen University and Research (WUR) is leading an innovation in sustainable paper production with grass paper. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on imported wood pulp and support local economies. Grass paper is recyclable, compostable, and requires less water and energy to produce. Companies like Creapaper GmbH are already using grass fibers for paper and cardboard production, significantly reducing carbon footprints and promoting biodiversity.

Sustainable paper alternative comes from grass: here is how

For many years now, we became acquainted with using recycled paper and buying notebooks, napkins or toilet paper made out of it. Now, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) scientists are pioneering a sustainable paper alternative.

Toys that last

Sustainable packaging is extremely beneficial for reducing waste, but it’s equally important to launch more circular initiatives, especially in the toy industry. The toy industry generates an estimated 26 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Last year’s analysis by the United Nations revealed that 7.3 billion e-toys, such as car racing sets, electric trains, music toys or talking dolls are discarded annually.

The ‘Toys That Last’ initiative aims to revolutionize the industry by promoting circular toys, encouraging companies to develop toys that can be repaired and passed on, thus reducing waste. PLAN Toys is experimenting with toy rentals, and the initiative aspires to create a global network of toy libraries, emphasizing sustainability, repairability, and reusability to minimize environmental impact.

Toy industry must and can be more sustainable, Bas Roelofs believes, ‘and offers huge business opportunities’

Toys are not only fun but also necessary for the healthy development of children. However, most of today’s toys are less healthy for the planet.