Ongoing discussion about recycling plastic waste

The recycling results achieved with collected plastic waste remain a subject of discussion in the media.

The lobbying and implementation organisation Nedvang reacted furiously to the first publication in Trouw on the morning of 26 October. In its press release of 26 October, an angry response was given, sticking to 80% recycling: “The fact is that 80% of plastic packaging waste from households is given a second life.” The statement by Ruud Sondag of Van Gansewinkel was labelled “incorrect”. See further here, here and here.

But Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Van Gansewinkel Group, remains of the opinion “that only 50% of the collected plastic can actually be processed into genuinely new raw materials”.

He further points to processing into “products that have only a limited environmental value” (see a follow-up article on the Trouw website, also from 26 October).

On 27 October, Trouw (see page 3) featured the statement that “as long as Nedvang cannot produce reliable figures, he would not know why he should retract his statement.”

A more detailed response from Van Gansewinkel can be found on their website, see here.

Recycling Netwerk urged in a press release (see here) that there must be transparent and independent monitoring.