Feasibility of the circular economy under pressure

Annual Review 2024 published

The Dutch Waste Management Association (DWMA) published its Annual Review 2024 on 3 April 2025. ‘The recycling sector is in severe difficulties,’ says DWMA president Bart van de Leemput. The Annual Review was presented at Renewi in Nieuwegein.

‘The recycling sector is in severe difficulties. Plastic recycling companies are going out of business because they cannot compete with cheap imports of oil-based plastic from China and the United States. We need government intervention to safeguard the plastic value chain in the Netherlands,’ says Bart van de Leemput, president of the Dutch Waste Management Association.

‘In the meantime, the sector faces policy measures that are actually obstructing the transition to the circular economy. Such as the tax on circular plastic the Dutch government is thinking of imposing on waste-to-energy plants and landfills. This tax would put the competitive position of our members, many of whom also operate on the European market, under severe pressure,’ says Van de Leemput. ‘To create the right environment for investing in a sustainable society we need stable government policies and effective policy instruments. It is crucial that the sector and government together set out the direction of travel and jointly formulate concrete and attainable objectives.’

More and better recycling to combat raw materials shortages

‘Preventing raw materials shortages in the Netherlands is not a choice but a necessity. The recycling sector is working on numerous initiatives and investments to promote the circular economy. Only a strong policy that stimulates materials recycling will secure the availability of essential secondary raw materials. We need action, not just talk, for more and better recycling. That’s how we’ll strengthen the circular economy and reduce our dependence on scare raw materials,’ says Bruno Bruins, Chief Strategy Office at Renewi.

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