Will the Netherlands continue to dump plastic waste in Asia?

We call on the Dutch State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen to put an end to the export of plastic waste to Asia. It is called 'export' but in practice it amounts to dumping. The receiving countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, do not have the infrastructure to process the waste safely. This has a major impact on the health of local populations and damages the environment. It ends up in illegal dumpsites, in the sea and leads to soil contamination. European member states must act The good news is: the European Parliament wants to do something about this. In their position on the Waste Shipment Regulation, they propose to ban the export of plastic waste. Currently, the Parliament is in negotiations with the European Commission and the European Council. Although several member states, including France, have already indicated their support for a ban on the export of plastic waste, the Netherlands believes that a ban is not necessary. This is remarkable, given that the Netherlands is the largest exporter of plastic waste in Europe. Call from NGOs Like other (environmental) organisations, Recycling Network has been calling for the introduction of an export ban for years. We wrote earlier about the support for the ban from the European Parliament. This week, on behalf of Natuur & Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, Searious Business, Zero Waste Nederland and Stichting Go Clean, we sent this letter to the State Secretary calling for support for a ban on the export of plastic waste. Because this is a decision that can make a huge difference. Will the Netherlands take its responsibility? Or will we continue to saddle poor regions in Asia with our waste problem? You can read the full letter here.

We call on the Dutch State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen to put an end to the export of plastic waste to Asia. It is called 'export' but in practice it amounts to dumping. The receiving countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, do not have the infrastructure to process the waste safely. This has a major impact on the health of local populations and damages the environment. It ends up in illegal dumpsites, in the sea and leads to soil contamination.

European member states must act

The good news is: the European Parliament wants to do something about this. In their position on the Waste Shipment Regulation, they propose to ban the export of plastic waste. Currently, the Parliament is in negotiations with the European Commission and the European Council. Although several member states, including France, have already indicated their support for a ban on the export of plastic waste, the Netherlands believes that a ban is not necessary. This is remarkable, given that the Netherlands is the largest exporter of plastic waste in Europe.

Call from NGOs

Like other (environmental) organisations, Recycling Network has been calling for years for the introduction of an export ban. We wrote earlier about the support for the ban from the European Parliament. This week, on behalf of Natuur & Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, Searious Business, Zero Waste Nederland and Stichting Go Clean, we sent this letter to the State Secretary calling for support for a ban on the export of plastic waste. Because this is a decision that can make a huge difference. Will the Netherlands take its responsibility? Or will we continue to saddle poor regions in Asia with our waste problem?

You can read the full letter here.