Thirteen waste disposal sites will be closed from Monday due to dissatisfaction with the plastic tax. The government threatens to pass the bill for plastic production to the waste processors, which, according to the FNV trade union, could mean the end of the sector.
Garbage trucks can still empty the bins, but can no longer dispose of the collected waste, an FNV spokesperson said.
That is the situation on Monday in the four largest cities and nine smaller places. Residents of these municipalities can no longer bring their waste to the local environmental street.
The strike will last three days, reports the FNV trade union. The waste sector is upset about a threat from the government. It wants to pass the bill for the plastic produced to the waste incinerators.
The Rutte IV cabinet wanted to charge companies extra if they made plastic based on petroleum, because it is so polluting. That should promote recycling of the material and would generate 567 million euros. But the Schoof cabinet crossed that out.
‘The end of the sector’
The bill may end up with the waste incinerators, unless the plastic sector itself comes up with another solution. Waste processors warn that they will have to pass on the 567 million euros to citizens if the sector has to pay for it.
It also becomes more economically logical to incinerate waste abroad if prices rise here. “If the plans go ahead, that will be the end of the sector,” says an FNV spokesperson.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management reports that the cabinet understands the concerns of employees. “Striking is a right, but for residents it is of course annoying if their waste is not collected.” The ministry emphasizes that no final decisions have been made about the plan yet.