If you associate big museums with big cities and Van Gogh paintings with the Van Gogh Museum, you might want to reexamine those assumptions.
Why? Well, about a hundred years ago, a woman built a unique modernist building in the middle of De Veluwe National Park and this is home to one of the most impressive modern art collections in the Netherlands.
Yes, we’re talking about the Kröller-Müller Museum — but do you know the story behind the woman who founded it?
Who was Helene Kröller-Müller?
The Kröller-Müller Museum didn’t come about in a very conventional way — probably because it wasn’t started by a very conventional person.
The woman who founded the iconic museum was Helene Kröller-Müller. Originally from Germany, Helene was an international in the Netherlands, relocating to the lowlands in 1888 — how relatable!
She moved for love… well, her father’s love since he was the one who picked her husband, a wealthy merchant who worked for her father’s company and later took it over.
The couple settled in Rotterdam, their business boomed, and Helene ended up becoming one of the richest women in the Netherlands. Okay, maybe not so relatable…
She lived in a time when most European women couldn’t study art and came from a family where her dad was much keener on picking husbands than supporting his daughter in getting a university degree.
The happy couple at the time of their engagement. Image: Unknown author/Wikimedia Commons/CC01.0
Given this, the cards were stacked against Helene becoming an art connoisseur. Still, she developed an interest in philosophy early on and found that some of her fundamental spiritual questions could be connected to art.
She was also one of the first collectors to recognise the then relatively unknown Van Gogh, labelling him as “one of the great spirits of modern art.”
For some time, she was perfectly happy collecting art for her private enjoyment. But after a while, that interest in philosophy started coming in handy, and she began to wonder about her place in the world as an art collector.
She’s probably thinking about her place in the world when looking into the distance here. Image: Kröller-Müller Museum/Beeldbank
The wondering turned concrete in 1911 when she underwent a dangerous operation. She decided that if she survived, she would build a museum for the Dutch people.
This article exists, so you can guess that her operation was successful, and Helene proved herself to be a woman of her word.
The (first) Kröller-Müller Museum was born
Her husband bought a building in The Hague and Helene started exhibiting her collection with the main purpose being “the benefit and enjoyment of the community.”
It was a time before Museum Cards, but you could still visit the collection for free — you just had to write to Helene and ask for a ticket.
But a small building in The Hague wouldn’t cut it for this collector. In 1921, she made plans to build a bigger museum on her country estate, which would later become De Veluwe National Park.
This isn’t a Disney villain’s headquarters, it’s the Kröller-Müller’s former country residence. Image: Dreamstime
Gave it her all after losing it all
Unfortunately, Helene’s dreams of a bigger museum were rudely interrupted when the Kröller-Müllers lost a significant portion of their money in the 1920s.
But if Helene could beat early 20th-century gender norms, she could beat a little financial crisis.
She managed to convince the Dutch Minister of Education, Arts, and Science that the state should take over the museum’s construction in exchange for her donating her entire art collection.
The Kröller-Müllers were slightly less generous when it came to their estate, though.
The Dutch state bought the land for a large sum of money and turned it into a national park — a great contribution to the country and to the Kröller-Müller’s finances.
The Kröller-Müller Museum as we know it today finally opened in 1938, becoming one of the first modern art museums in Europe. A year after her big dream came true, Helene passed away.
The Kröller-Müller Museum today: a unique wonder
So, if you find yourself in De Veluwe today, you can turn your nature getaway into a cultural outing as well.
The museum building, an odd mixture of De Stijl and modernist architecture, is tucked away among the national park’s trees, far from any of the other great Dutch museums in the Randstad.
The entrance to the museum, tucked away between the trees. Image: Kröller-Müller Museum/Beeldbank
It still houses one of the most interesting modern art collections in the Netherlands, the second-largest Van Gogh collection in the world.
Unfortunately, the museum doesn’t stick to Helene’s lovely tradition of giving out tickets for free — you now have to pay an entry fee for the park and the museum if you want to marvel at the collection.
But still, Helene had many odds stacked against her and yet, she made her museum come to life. If we adopt her mentality, we too can beat inflation and buy those museum tickets!
Have you visited the Kröller-Müller Museum before? Let us know how it was in the comments!
So, here’s a quirk that gets awkward really quickly if you get it wrong: the Dutch custom to greet you with three kisses on the cheek. 💏
The French do it, the Brazilians do it, and the Polish do it…greeting one another with kisses is not unique to the Dutch.
But there are definitely some unspoken rules you should know about.
What is it?
As someone who is not used to this sort of greeting, there are immediately some questions bubbling up as soon as a Dutchie gets closer and closer and… 😳
First of all, where do you turn your head? Is it left, right, or left? Or right, left, right?
Apparently, It’s the first one (I had to learn the hard way.)
You lean in with your head tilted towards the left. We recommend learning this one by heart so you don’t end up with an awkward smooch.
One kiss, two kisses, three kisses?
In both Italy and France, it’s standard to greet one another with a kiss on each cheek — in the Netherlands, however, you’re likely to be met with three!
Now, are we talking lips-to-cheek sort of kissing? The answer is, no! You just sort of put your heads next to each other, cheeks touching lightly, and kiss the air next to their head.
And, do I just kiss anyone? Also, no. Usually, this kissing custom is reserved for close family and friends. Men don’t usually kiss one another.
Why do they do it?
It’s custom, just as much as a handshake or a polite nod of the head.
Interestingly, it’s more popular in the south than in the north of the Netherlands. Probably, because it’s closer to Belgium and France and the kissy greeting is said to originate there.
Three kisses are oftentimes exchanged for official or representative purposes. For instance, sometimes guests on TV are welcomed with the left-right-left smooch. 💋
It’s also part of wishing someone a happy birthday! 🎂
If you’re invited to a Dutch birthday party, you’ll impress the birthday person by splitting up the Dutch word for “Happy Birthday’ with three cheek kisses.
“Ge…kiss…feli…kiss…ceteerd…kiss.” 😗
Why is it quirky?
Well, it’s just one of those things they don’t really tell you before moving to the Netherlands (luckily, we just did).
All of those unspoken rules can be a real cultural puzzle. 🧩
The restaurant Bij Best has decided to put a Dutch twist on a beloved French classic — they now serve croissants with bitterballen and, of course, a big dollop of mustard.
@snackspert Delft is sowieso het bezoeken waard omdat het gewoon een prachtige stad is, maar het is ook het bezoeken waard vanwege de bitterbal croissant die je bij Bij Best (een hele sympathieke ontbijt en brunch zaak) kan halen en eerlijk gezegd ken ik geen andere zaak die dit nog doet, nice, complimenten. Mijn eerste gedachte was echter: getver, moet je niet willen combineren, weg ermee. Maar we leven in een land van etensuiting en dus moet ik dit ook een kans geven – dus dit ook. En maar goed ook, want het was prima te doen. Het is alleen jammer dat er echt veel te weinig mosterdmayo, want het werd al gauw een droge bedoening en dat is niet de bedoeling. Minpuntje, potentie heeft dit gerecht zeker. Ik daag mensen uit om dit verder uit te bouwen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ——————————— 📍: Bij Best, Delft 📱: nvt 💰: 5,95 euro #snackspert#delft#bitterbal#bitterballen#croissantje#tussendoortje#ontbijtje#frituur#gefrituurd♬ origineel geluid – snackspert
The birth of… something
How did this combination come about? No, they didn’t lose a bet. One of the restaurant’s employees decided to give in to a very strange craving and made himself a bitterballen croissant for lunch.
The restaurant then put the newly invented food onto the menu — as a bit of a joke more than anything.
We just hope any French tourists passing through Delft have a sense of humour as well. Otherwise, France might soon become Nexit’s biggest supporter.
But maybe the restaurant is onto something. When Omroep West gave the snack to passersby on the street, it got some high praise — rating it eight or nine out of 10 across the board!
Who knows, sometimes something that looks so very wrong can be so right. 😌
What do you think of the bitterballen croissant? Lekker or a crime against cuisine?
A high school student from Anna van Rijn College in Nieuwegein has lost his life after participating in a dangerous ‘choking game’.
The NOS reports that no further investigation will occur since no other individuals were involved in the incident.
Raising awareness of the risks
The ‘choking game’ involves deliberately restricting oxygen to reach a temporary euphoric state.
The boy’s parents have requested that the school publicly disclose the cause of his death to “warn other parents and draw attention to the life-threatening risks of this or similar challenges.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first time this deadly game has taken a young person’s life.
A teenage boy (16) from Arkel and another boy (15) from The Hague are among the many victims of this deadly challenge.
Over in Amsterdam, a male student (15) was even arrested for holding four other students in a chokehold.
A growing concern
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service warns that the game can lead to severe physical harm or permanent consequences “due to a lack of oxygen in the brain”.
As such, they emphasise that the “consequences of this ‘choking game’ can haunt you for the rest of your life”.
Support for the community
Anna van Rijn College intends to provide additional support to students and parents during this difficult time.
“We will keep a close eye on how the students are doing in the coming period and provide extra help if necessary,” says the school.
After a period of fog, the Netherlands is sticking to what it knows best — strong winds all over the country!
This time around, the wind comes as a present from the west since we’re experiencing the effects of Storm Éowyn battering Ireland and the UK. ⛈️
The wind is back
As the fog is clearing up, we’re able to see again — but what we’re seeing is, unfortunately, a strong southwesterly wind all over the Netherlands today (January 24). 😬
Though we can expect a relatively calm start to the day, winds will likely peak early in the afternoon, reports NU.nl.
This means coastal areas may experience wind gusts of up to 75 kilometres per hour, with possibly even stronger winds forecast for the northwestern coast and the Wadden islands.
Wind gusts with a force of 75 km/h? That’s child’s play for the Netherlands — which is why no code yellow weather warning has been issued yet.
Nevertheless, according to Weeronline, there is still a small chance this will be declared an official storm.
In addition to the wind, we can expect some morning showers countrywide. Throughout the afternoon, however, it will dry up everywhere except the very southeastern part of the country.
We’re also in for a quieter night, with the wind calming down inland but remaining stronger on the coast.
The Dutch court has ruled in favour of Greenpeace in their case against the Dutch state, meaning the Netherlands must take more concrete action to reduce nitrogen emissions.
The judge says the government has not been proactive enough in achieving its nitrogen goals for 2025 — and if it doesn’t act now, the 2030 goals might not be met either.
That is why a €10 million penalty must be paid to Greenpeace if the government doesn’t significantly reduce the nitrogen balance by 2030.
One step forward, 20 billion steps back
According to the NOS, the judge indirectly condemned the current government for not only being too slow in achieving its nitrogen emission goals but also for reversing previous measures.
Prime Minister Schoof’s cabinet has taken the previous government’s €24.3 billion budget to reduce the country’s nitrogen balance and cut it by almost €20 billion, leaving only €5 billion.
Since a large part of nitrogen emissions come from livestock farming, and the Netherlands has a big agricultural sector, the Dutch nitrogen balances are some of the highest in Europe. Other big nitrogen contributors are transportation and industry.
The court also emphasised that protecting Natura 2000 areas is a top priority.
By 2030, 50% of these protected areas must no longer suffer from nitrogen overload. Currently, only 28% meet this standard, but the court believes the goal is achievable with the right policies.
A bittersweet celebration
The government can appeal to the ruling, but they must already get to work in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace welcomes the verdict, labelling it as a “celebration for nature” that brings clarity.
“The celebration is bittersweet, however,” they remark, “as it should not have taken a court intervention to achieve.”
A bumpy road ahead
The government will have to work hard to comply with the court’s ruling.
Since the agriculture sector needs to be significantly reduced, the government has allocated some budget to buying out farmers. These buyouts were planned to be voluntary, but some forced buyouts may also be necessary.
A major issue in all this can be posed by the BBB (Farmer’s Party), which controls the Ministry of Agriculture.
The party has been a vocal opponent of tough measures against the agriculture sector in the past and does not support forced farm buyouts.
What do you think of this ruling? Step in the right direction or completely unrealistic? Share your thoughts in the comments.
On Wednesday afternoon, a driver struck several people following a conflict that erupted at a coffeeshop in Eindhoven.
Two people were injured, and two people have been arrested for threatening and obstructing police offers.
What happened?
According to Omroep Brabant, the incident occurred after a fight broke out in front of Coffeeshop Pink in Eindhoven.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the men involved in the conflict got into his car and deliberately drove into the group of people standing outside — not once, but twice. After that, he fled the scene.
As the NOS writes, two people were injured in the collision, and one of them had to be taken to the hospital.
The exact cause of the conflict remains unclear, and it is unknown whether the individuals involved knew one another.
Authorities have arrested two individuals — one who allegedly threatened a police officer, and another for attempting to interfere with the arrest.
However, the driver of the car remains free for now. He was driving a white Volkswagen T-Roc with a Belgian licence plate.
Police are still searching for the driver and are urging anyone who sees the car to call 112 immediately.
Rotterdam is leading the way in sustainable energy solutions, with its public transport company (RET) being the first in Europe to use its surplus electricity to alleviate the city’s overloaded power grid.
According to AD, RET’s public transport network generates an impressive 90,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually.
To put this into perspective, that’s enough energy to supply approximately 36,000 households in Rotterdam.
Power to the people (and cars)
As RET director Linda Boot says, “There is much more power available than our trams and metros need.”
Initial plans involve Rotterdam purchasing 2,000 megawatt hours from RET. This energy will be used for two new charging plazas, capable of supporting an estimated 30,000 charging sessions per year.
The concept was developed five years ago by RET technician Leo Vliegenthart during the construction of Feyenoord City.
Using your daily commute to power your house? It’s swiftly becoming a reality, thanks to RET’s new initiative. Image: Dreamstime
Boot observed that the public transport network’s power system is only fully utilised when vehicles are running, leaving much of the potential energy untapped during slower periods.
Expanding the project
Alderman Chantal Zeegers highlighted the pressing need to relieve the region’s overloaded power grid.
Encouraged by the success in Rotterdam, Boot hopes to expand the project to other Dutch cities like the Hague, Amsterdam, and Arnhem.
“The implementation is simple,” she says. “All that is needed is a dedicated power grid and a permit to supply electricity.”
Heads up, Netherlands (literally) — the universe is putting on a rare show this week, with six planets sharing the night sky. 🌌
If (and this is a big if in the lowlands 👀) the weather allows for it, that is.
It’s a planet parade
Astronomers are calling it the alignment of planets, but don’t make the silly mistake of assuming the planets will actually align — the term just means that six of them will be visible in the sky at the same time.
Saturn, Venus, and Neptune can be seen in the west until around 10 PM each evening.
Jupiter and Uranus will reign high in the sky in the south all night, and Mars will emerge in the southeast and not set until morning.
According to the NOS, most of them (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) will be visible to the naked eye. As for Neptune and Uranus, however, you’ll need the help of some good binoculars to see them.
Clear skies, please
Spotting this rare planetary alignment depends on how good the weather is — but for good weather to occur in January in the Netherlands, the planets really have to align.
Unsurprisingly, the forecast for this week doesn’t seem like it’s on our side.
We’re not losing all hope, though, since the same celestial phenomenon will happen at the end of February, with a seventh planet (Mercury) added on February 28.
If we miss this one, we’ll have to wait for another chance until 2040. Fingers crossed for a very clear February! 🤞
Are you excited about the possibility of seeing this rare celestial phenomenon? Let us know in the comments!
Chances are no one taught you about recycling and waste management in the Netherlands — and we don’t blame you!
Recycling and garbage disposal may not be the most exciting part of moving to a new country, but it’s essential to know if you want to live here comfortably.
Let op! Many Dutch cities will fine you big bucks if you don’t recycle correctly.
Whether you’re looking to live waste-free or want to do your part for the environment, this is the complete guide to recycling in the Netherlands.
🗑 Household waste and recycling in the Netherlands
The majority of Dutchies sort and recycle their waste in one way or another — but what do you do with all the different types of waste?
Waste in the Netherlands is managed on a local government level, which means that it does differ a little depending on where you live. You should get in touch with your municipality to find out:
the details on how recycling and waste management work where you live,
all the important dates and schedules and
if there are special ways of handling certain waste and recycling in your local area.
Sorting your waste
In the Netherlands, different kinds of waste need to be separated. Most municipalities require you to dispose of separately:
Paper and cardboard waste 🗞
Plastic, metal, and drink packaging (PMD) 🍸
Green waste 🥗
General waste 🗑
This means you have to sort it!
It’s typically easier to sort your waste as you go to avoid rooting around in your bin later. Your municipality might be kind enough to give you small containers to sort your waste. Otherwise, you’ll need to buy them yourself.
Where do I dispose of my sorted waste?
There are two ways to dispose of your waste and recycling in the Netherlands. In most areas, you must deposit your waste and recycling in shared containers.
An example of a communal recycling point in the Netherlands. You can usually find these within every neighbourhood. Image: Depositphotos
Municipalities usually have containers for waste, paper, glass, plastic, metal, and drink packaging (PMD). These communal containers look like large metal boxes.
You lift the lid to put your waste or recycling in the correct container, and it falls into a huge underground storage unit.
The municipality regularly empties these containers, so there’s no need to worry about timing your recycling days or remembering to put a wheelie bin out.
TIP: Your municipality’s website will have a map of all recycling container locations and which materials you can recycle there.
If you live outside of a city, your household may have been given two to four containers for waste and recycling. The municipality will come a few times a week to empty the containers.
Recyclable vs. non-recyclable waste: what happens?
Once your recycling is sorted, the materials are usually recycled in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe. Non-recyclable waste goes to an incinerator or a landfill.
However, these incinerators produce electricity that is put back into the power grid for hundreds of thousands of Dutch homes.
Looking ahead, the Netherlands aims to become a completely waste-free country by 2050. This means they want to:
reduce the number of raw materials used to make products,
reuse as many raw materials as possible, and
reduce waste from using products.
Hopefully, this will reduce the need for incinerators or landfills in the future!
Landfills are not a common sight to see in the Netherlands. Image: Depositphotos
💪 Become a recycling and trash pro — the Dutch way
Now, here’s where your part comes in. It’ll get some taking used to, but managing your waste won’t be too complicated once you get the hang of it.
🗞 Recycling paper in the Netherlands
Most paper (papier) and cardboard can be recycled in the Netherlands as well as food packaging, cardboard, and parcel packaging can all get a new life. Hoera! 🎉
But if your paper is soiled, for example, it has oil, paint, dirt, or some other grime on it, you’ll have to toss it in with your general waste.
Depending on how busy your city is, municipalities empty the recycling bins a few times a week or once every one or two weeks. 📄
If a recycling point is full, it’s best to bring your recycling back home and wait a few days for the municipality to empty the bins.
⚠️ Warning: You might be tempted to leave your recycling in a pile near the bins instead, especially if other people have already. Not only is this bad for the environment, but some municipalities also search through this rubbish, find the litterers by looking at the shipping labels on boxes and envelopes, and then send them a hefty fine.
What goes in the paper bins (papierbakken)?
✅ Newspapers, food packaging, cardboard, mail, envelopes, paper packaging, paper wrappers
❌ Shop receipts of any kind, any soiled paper material, and other dirty paper products like food napkins, used paper plates, greasy pizza boxes, etc.
🥤 Recycling plastic in the Netherlands
Plastic recycling can be a tricky business. No one wants to be responsible for the ocean plastic problem or hurting adorable sea turtles, but not all plastic can be recycled.
The sea turtles will thank you for recycling your plastic responsibly! 🐢 Image: Freepik
To figure out if you can recycle your plastic waste, you can usually check the packaging to see if it’s recyclable. Plastic can be sorted with metal and drink packaging when you’re recycling waste.
But before you chuck that piece of plastic in the bin, make sure you clean any leftover crumbs from the waste you want to recycle. Otherwise, it can contaminate whole loads of recycling, forcing it into landfills or to be incinerated instead.
It’s also important to know that you can get a bit of money back for returning some types of plastic bottles to your local Dutch supermarket.
This is called statiegeld (deposit money). Most beer (by the crate, bottle or can), plastic soda bottles and cans, like Coca-Cola or water, will get you anywhere from €0.10 to €0.25, depending on the size of the bottle.
Using a bottle return system (statiegeld) in the Netherlands
If you’ve never used the bottle return system in the Netherlands, fear not! Here’s how it works.
Most supermarkets have a machine in the store to deposit both plastic bottles and beer bottles/crates. If you’re unsure where the machine is, you can ask a supermarket employee to point it out for you.
If you’ve never done a bottle return in the Netherlands before, here’s a handy little graph you can use! Image: DutchReview
Once you’ve finished putting all of your recyclables in, you get a voucher back instead of actual cash. You can scan this voucher to get a discount on your groceries, or you can ask for it back in cash at the service desk in the supermarket.
This is definitely a service you should use, especially because you can get money back, all the while lessening plastic pollution. Seems like a win-win in our books!
Be aware that the supermarket has to sell the brand you are returning. For example, you can’t return a Coca-Cola bottle to Lidl because they don’t sell Coca-Cola there.
Most big supermarkets have drop-off points for bottles just like this one here. Image: Statiegeld Nederland
It’s important to recycle properly because plastic pollution is an ongoing issue in the Netherlands, but the country deals with it in a few interesting ways.
For example, plastic fishing in Amsterdam has become a popular way of handling plastic in the city. But of course, there’s always room for improvement.
What goes in the plastic bins (plasticbakken)?
✅ Plastic packaging, some food packaging, plastic wrappers, etc.
❌ Cling film/saran wrap, plastic tape, bottles for cleaning products (like bleach and toilet cleaner), foil-like food packaging (like chip bags), etc.
🍾 Recycling glass in the Netherlands
Glass from food and drink packaging (such as bottles and jars) are the only types of glass you can recycle. Other glass products, like tableware and cookware, are recycled differently.
Sometimes, you have to separate the glass into coloured (bont) or white (wit) glass, and some cities even divide green (groen) and brown (bruin) glass. 🥛
If you have to recycle glass separately, the municipality will clearly label the recycling bins with bont,wit, bruin, or groen glass.
Otherwise, the recycling bins will just say “glas”, and you can put any food or drink glass packaging in.
Some households get a large bin for recycling glass (mostly beer bottles) in the Netherlands. Image: Depositphotos
You can also get statiegeld for glass, particularly from beer bottles. If you drink beer as much as Dutchies do, you can turn in your beer bottles by the crate or half-crate, but you can also deposit single bottles.
Glass bottles usually have “statiegeld” written somewhere on the label along with how much money you get back so you can find out which of your glass recycling can be deposited.
What goes in the glass bins (glasbakken)?
✅ Food jars, sauce bottles, etc. You can leave lids and covers on the jars and bottles.
❌ Light bulbs, glass cookware, eyeglasses, glass from windows, etc.
🔗 Recycling metal in the Netherlands
Metal recyclables include mostly food packaging such as drink cans, food tins, and aluminium foil, which can also be put with plastic and drink packaging.
If you want to recycle scrap metal or bulkier metal waste, you will have to dispose of it as grofvuil (more on that later).
What counts as metal recyclables?
✅ Metal drink cans, food tins and cans, aluminium foil
❌ Any other metal waste
💻 Recycling electronics and appliances in the Netherlands
This type of waste is not as common as the other types, but leave it to the Dutch to recycle it.
You can usually drop off electronic and small household appliances at some recycling points along with paper, PMD, glass, and restafval bins.
Check your municipality’s website to see which recycling points have a bin for electronics and appliances.
If you have an old phone that doesn’t work anymore, you can dispose of it in one of these recycling bins or try to recycle it at your local electronics stores like MediaMarkt.
If there’s nothing nearby, you can drop off electronics and appliances at the general waste drop-off centre in your municipality.
What counts as a small appliance?
✅ Mobile phones, cables, light bulbs, appliances like lamps, headphones etc.
❌ TVs, laptops, PCs, monitors (these definitely wouldn’t fit in the recycling bins)
🛋 Recycling large items in the Netherlands (grofvuil)
That brings us to the two ways to handle large waste: dispose or donate.
Donating large waste
If your large items are still in good condition, consider bringing them to a charity or a second-hand shop (called the kringloop in the Netherlands). Donating is a great idea, especially if you’re looking to reduce your overall waste.
Bringing things to a kringloop is an excellent way to give new life to clothes and other items. Image: Dreamstime
It’s such a great idea that some kringlopen will even come to pick up your old stuff for free! This does vary per store, so make sure to check what options are available with your local kringloop.
Disposing of large waste
If your large items are beyond repair, they can often be picked up by the municipality’s waste management and collection department by making an appointment through the municipality.
The municipality usually does these pick-ups for free under a certain size and weight. Not all municipalities offer this pick-up service, so it’s best to check what the municipality can do for you.
TIP: It’s not necessarily legal, but if you put a large item on your sidewalk for a few hours with a little “gratis” sign on it, someone else might just claim the item for you. Just make sure to remove it if no one takes it!
If you have large items that don’t fit the regulations, you can make an appointment to bring them to your local waste management station. You can check the exact regulations in your municipality through their website.
What counts as grofvuil (large waste)?
✅ Mattresses, old furniture like couches, TVs, ovens, etc. 🛋
❌ Small household items and appliances like lamps and light bulbs
👖 Getting rid of old clothes in the Netherlands
If you’ve just come back from a shopping haul or are in desperate need of a spring clean, you might want to consider recycling or donating clothes to make room in your closet.
Donating clothes in the Netherlands
If you still have wearable clothes but don’t want to keep them, consider donating them to a kringloop or thrift shop. There’s always someone out there who’s thrifting for clothes or wants to buy second-hand. 👗
The only real requirement for donating clothes is that they’re in good condition (no holes, no tattered edges, little to no discolouration of the fabric, unless it’s part of the style) and that they’re clean when you donate them. 🧺
To donate clothes, you can talk to the kringloop or thrift shop employees about how to drop off your recyclables. The shops will check the quality of the clothes and see whether they can take your clothes and resell them.
Lots of people shop at kringlopen — you’ll never know what kind of hidden gems you’ll find in the piles of clothing. Image: Depositphotos
If the shops decide they can’t resell your clothing for whatever reason, you can recycle them at a recycling point, the same way you would recycle paper or glass.
Recycling clothes in the Netherlands
You can recycle clothes that are both in good or bad condition — for example, you could recycle a pair of trousers that just aren’t quite your style but are relatively new and clean. It’s also possible to recycle clothes that can’t be worn anymore, for example:
If they have holes
If the fabric is tattered or worn
Scrap clothing
Scrap cloth or textiles
The municipality usually puts recycling bins for clothes and other textiles (textielbak) near other communal recycling bins. Still, these bins are not as common as the other types of waste.
You won’t always find them at your closest recycling point, so it’s best to check your municipality website to find where these bins are exactly.
Your clothes have to be clean (no oil or paint stains) and dry to put in the recycling bins. You can put clothes into a plastic bag and pack them tightly to stay clean.
You can also tie together shoes and put them in the bag together with clothes.
What goes in the textielbak (textile bin)?
✅ Clean clothes (even if they are worn or torn), hats, scarves, purses, belts, shoes (tied together), towels and washcloths, tablecloths, blankets, and stuffed toys.
❌ Badly stained or wet clothes, carpets/rugs, duvets, pillows, and mattresses.
🌱 Composting in the Netherlands
Some households get groenbakjes (green bins) used for composting biodegradable materials (materials that bacteria and other living organisms can decompose to avoid pollution). All of these materials are called “green waste”.
Investing in a compost bin for your garden is also an excellent alternative to throwing away green waste. Image: Dreamstime
Groenbakjes is an option but not a necessity. You can check up with your municipality’s website to see if you can get a groenbakje where you live. If you don’t have a groenbakje, you can put your food and other waste with restafval (general waste).
What goes in a groenbak (green bin)?
✅ Vegetables, fruits, peelings, leftover cooked food, fish and meat leftovers (with bones), egg and nut shells, cooking fat, tea bags, coffee filters and grounds, garden waste like branches, leaves, weeds, flowers, straw
❌ Cat litter, baby diapers, drink or plastic packaging, large pieces of wood or branches, sand, fireplace ash, pet hair, vacuum cleaner contents
💉 Responsible disposal of chemical waste and medicine in the Netherlands (klein chemisch afval)
Small chemical waste (klein chemisch afval or KCA) also needs to be disposed of properly, which includes waste like medicine and chemicals. This refers to paint, paint thinners, toners, printer cartridges, turpentine, and cleaning agents. ⚠️
You cannot throw these away with the restafval. Instead, dispose of chemical waste at the waste management and collection station closest to your house.
For medicine, you can return outdated prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, like pills, cough medicines, and antibiotic ointments, to a pharmacy counter for proper disposal.
If you’re unsure about what’s disposable, check your local municipality’s regulations.
Disposing of batteries in the Netherlands
Batteries get a bit of special treatment because they’re a pretty common recyclable but full of chemicals. Luckily, it’s just as easy to recycle as paper and plastic.
Most supermarkets and some stores have space for collecting old batteries in a batterijenbak (battery box), which is usually red or blue. You can sort batteries with the rest of your chemical waste, but this might be a more convenient way to recycle them!
What chemical waste and medicines can be responsibly disposed of?
🛻 Garbage collection and recycling stations in the Netherlands
Municipalities have garbage and recycling collectors who come every week either to empty the communal bins or to pick up waste from individual households.
If you live in a bigger city, it’s more likely you’ll have to bring your waste and recycling to the communal bins. The bins are regularly emptied, so you don’t have to stress about pick-up schedules.
You might see a garbage truck like this a few times a week. Image: Depositphotos
In the less built-up areas, waste and recycling collectors might have specific pick-up days for different waste types. It’s important to check with your neighbours or your municipality so you can leave the right type of waste out on the right day.
💬 Common Dutch terms about recycling in the Netherlands
Whew, that was a lot of information. If you’ve lost track, here’s a list of common Dutch terms when it comes to recycling and waste management that might come in handy later.
Dutch
English
Meaning
Afval
Waste
All waste
Restafval
Residual waste
Non-recyclable waste
Papierbak
Paper bin
Bin to recycle paper
Plastiekverpakkingen
Plastic packaging
Any plastic products used for packaging
Glasbak
Glass bin
Bin to recycle glass
Batterijenbak
Battery bin
Bin to recycle batteries
Groenbak
Green bin
Bin for compostable materials
Textielbak
Textiles bin
Bin to recycle textiles and clothes
Grofvuil
Bulky waste
Large items to be disposed of
Statiegeld
Deposit
A deposit paid on eligible bottles and cans that you receive back when the items are returned
And that’s everything you need to know about recycling and waste management in the Netherlands! Do you have any recycling tips for newcomers to the Netherlands?
Recycling in the Netherlands: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get money for returning bottles in the Netherlands?
In short, yes! You can recycle plastic and glass bottles like soda and beer bottles, but not all will give you back the money.
For example, a Coca-Cola or Heineken bottle will get you some money back, but a super-niche Belgian craft beer probably won’t.
You can check whether bottles give you statiegeld on the packaging themselves, look online, or check with supermarkets.
Can I recycle batteries in the Netherlands?
Yes, you can! Most Dutch supermarkets have a box where you can drop off your empty batteries safely. They’re usually labelled, and if you can’t find one, ask a supermarket employee to direct you.
Where can I recycle electronics in the Netherlands?
Each municipality has its way of recycling small appliances, so it’s best to check your municipality’s website. In general, the municipality has a few recycling bins for electronics which you can find by looking on their website.
Is there an option to dispose of waste privately in the Netherlands?
Each municipality has its way of recycling small appliances, so it’s best to check your municipality’s website. In general, the municipality has a few recycling bins for electronics which you can find by looking on their website.
