Who are we?

About Afvalfonds Verpakkingen and Nedvang

Producers and importers are responsible by law for collecting and recycling the packaging they put on the Dutch market. The Dutch Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen and Nedvang carry out this producer responsibility on their behalf as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The system is built on the principle: the polluter pays. Producers and importers, all companies that make or use packaging, are responsible for collecting, sorting and recycling their packaging. This is implemented collectively by the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund.

Companies marketing packaged products are legally obliged to ensure the collection and recycling of packaging, including the deposit system. We call this extended producer responsibility (Uitgebreide ProducentenVerantwoordelijkheid: ‘UPV’) The Dutch Packaging Waste Fund has taken on this responsibility. The Fund also has the task of reporting annually to the authorities on behalf of the packaging industry about achieving the statutory recycling targets and is responsible for achieving them. The reporting is subject to audits by an external audit firm and the Environmental and Transport Inspectorate (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport: ‘ILT’). By undertaking this collectively, it avoids the arbitrariness of various systems.

New measuring point

Packaging waste has been collected, sorted and recycled for some time now. For years, the many tons of packaging material were registered as ‘recycled’ if, after sorting, they were sold to a market party, such as a recycler. The idea behind this is that if the market purchases the sorted packaging material, the market will ensure that this stream is also recycled. After all, after sorting the sorted waste is considered a valuable stream.

However, after sorting a part of the packaging is still lost in the process of recycling, for example as a result of further sorting, cleaning and washing. As a result, the actual percentage of recycled packaging is lower than what has always been registered until now.

A new European legislation (Directive 94/62/EC) has been introduced to create more transparency in the chain. For most materials, the new directive means a shift in the measurement point from recycling, as shown below for plastic. Due to the shift of the measuring point, the weight of moisture, dirt, any other by-products and material losses that occur during recycling will no longer be included in the weight of recycled material to be reported.

Transparency and accuracy

The legislation should lead to more information about the route the waste takes and to more accurate recycling figures. This is a positive development, as everyone benefits from a transparent chain and reliable recycling figures.

In practice, this means that there must be more insight into the waste throughout the entire chain, from sorter to trader and recycler. Where in the past the process of registration and monitoring often did not continue trading, now the chain is being looked at further.

What does this mean for waste companies?

Nedvang is responsible for the correct registration of how much packaging has been recycled. But waste companies also have a responsibility in this regard: they are required by law to declare if they trade and recycle packaging. This legal requirement is written in the ‘Packaging act’ (Besluit beheer verpakkingen): a waste company or recycler that processes Dutch packaging material needs to supply the information that Nedvang needs for monitoring. This makes a transparent chain a shared responsibility.

All companies active in the trade and recycling of packaging will receive a letter from Nedvang requesting them to cooperate in providing data. The process to arrive at the right data is summarized in 5 steps:

  • Step 1: Nedvang invites you with this registration form to register. You can fill in this form immediately.
  • Step 2: Reporting Agreement. If your registration has been received by Nedvang, Nedvang will contact you personally. Then Nedvang will discuss the aforementioned reporting agreement with you and Nedvang will ask you to sign it, including your company details.
  • Step 3: Supply data. Based on the regulations in the Regulations, Nedvang has developed a reporting method that describes which data is required. After signing the agreement you will receive a form to fill in. In this we ask you to state the loss per type of material as it occurs in your sorting and/or recycling process and to describe the way in which this data is determined within your company. This description should preferably be part of your quality system. This contributes to the substantiation of the data provided. Nedvang must complete its reporting by 1 June 2023, which means that your data must be available before 1 May 2023 at the latest.
  • Step 4: Data Verification. For the recognition of your company, Nedvang carries out a data verification on location. This is a verification of the quality of your company’s registration process and the data provided. The results will be shared with you and you will be asked to follow up on any findings.
  • Step 5: Recognition. if after the data verification it appears that the registration and the reporting process meet the quality requirements, then you meet the legal requirements and Nedvang recognizes your company. You will receive a certificate of recognition and a recognition logo. Recognition also leads to your name being listed on the list of recognized waste companies on the Nedvang website and the promised compensation.

If you have any questions, please contact us

Nedvang has formed a project team to assist you with the delivery of the requested data for 2022 or checking your previous delivery. If you have any questions about the required information, please contact us via nmp@nedvang.nl or 070-200 25 80 and we will be happy to help you.