Of the around 60 million metric tonnes of waste collected annually in the Netherlands, a little less than 10% comes from the approximately one million establishments in the trade, services and government sector. The waste they produce, known generically as ‘commercial waste’, has a similar composition to household waste. In most towns and cities it is collected by multiple commercial operators, ranging from major national operators to medium-sized regional companies and small local firms.
This Outlook study reviews options for reducing the CO2 emissions (and transport movements) associated with collection of commercial waste in the period up to 2030, with a primary focus on collection of waste from the trade, services and government sector, most of which is generated in the urban environment.