By Natascha Rivera
Copyright euroweeklynews
THE capital of the Netherlands is calling for desperate measures in order to control the rubbish issue: removing the bins altogether. Bustling tourism and culture hub Amsterdam has long been facing a littering problem, partly due to people rummaging through the bins in order to obtain refunds for discarded items, offered for certain recyclables in the Netherlands, and city officials have decided the best course of action is to simply remove some of the bins in the area.
Complaints about the bins and litter around the city have surged after a new sustainability measure was implemented in Amsterdam, giving customers a small refund for bottles and cans that are returned to shops and designated establishments. The deposit scheme aimed to promote sustainability and recycling, and discourage throwing away plastic, glass, or aluminum containers. However, along with the measure, the city has seen an increase of people rummaging through the bins in order to look for these discarded containers, compromising public hygiene and littering even more.
Last year, 25 per cent of Amsterdam residents described their neighbourhood as being dirty or very dirty since the introduction of the measure, and the percentage rose to two in five, or 40 per cent, nearing the city centre.
Fewer bins means less litter
Amsterdam has already been experimenting with removing rubbish bins in busy streets and shopping areas, and although it seemed counterproductive at a first glance, deputy mayor, city finance chief, and head of waste collection, Hester van Buren, confirmed the measure is actually working, namely in Damstraat and Noorderpark. According to van Buren, rubbish attracts more rubbish, and when the bins are opened (around three times a day in Amsterdam), the trash that is blown around attracts pests including mice, rats, and cockroaches. Van Buren also confirmed that additional measures to increase street cleaning or install more bins were proving inadequate for the sheer scale of the problem in Amsterdam.
The city will be focusing the removal in areas where businesses are already legally required to take care of waste collection and cleaning, public parks, and where underground bins are easily accessible. The city will also try its hand at implementing designated slots where people can donate their recyclable containers, and loot-proof bins where waste can be put inside but not taken out.
Amsterdam locals, taking the issue into their own hands
On Friday, September 19, more than 9,000 Amsterdam locals signed up for a community clean-up day following a viral LinkedIn post made by entrepreneur Victor Knaap, who complained about the “rubbish on every corner” in the Dutch capital.
Amsterdam currently has some 12,000 bins, which are routinely emptied at least twice a day in crowded areas. The Amsterdam City Council will decide if the measure, dubbed the “bin offensive,” is working and whether or not to extend it to other parts of the city in six months.
