About three quarters of the municipalities still use volunteers to collect waste paper, says Goorhuis, but he has noticed that it has decreased somewhat in recent years. “We do hear from time to time that municipalities stop with the help of volunteers and we do not hear that new municipalities are starting.” This is partly because the collection of waste paper has been professionalised, he says.
Hans Koning of the trade association for waste paper recognizes this trend. “Times have changed. People used to put a box of old paper on the street and the association drove by. Nowadays you have to deal with mini containers and garbage trucks. These are quite dangerous devices for which you also need training before you can work with them. “
“There are municipalities that do not want to take the safety risks. They therefore do the collection themselves, or leave it to commercial waste companies, for example,” says Goorhuis.
Not charged to newspaper
Football association Dios does not collect the paper on behalf of the municipality, but directly for the recycling company. The municipality of Haarlemmermeer, which includes Nieuw-Vennep, is one of the municipalities that no longer cooperates with voluntary organizations.
“Volunteers do it voluntarily and can stop if they want,” said a spokesperson for the municipality. “We have the obligation to collect waste separately and if we organize it ourselves, the continuity is greater.”
Incidentally, the increased price for waste paper has no direct consequences for consumers who order packages online. Bol.com has announced that they will not pass on the increased price to customers. PostNL also states that the higher cardboard price will not be included in the shipping costs.
It is true that cardboard boxes, which PostNL also sell separately, have risen in price as a result.
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