The rate per category of material is determined by the costs involved in collecting, separating and recycling that specific material. In short, readily recyclable packaging are not only good for the environment but also for your wallet. Part of the rate comprises the general system costs, these being the costs incurred for monitoring recycling and prevention of litter, amongst other things. These costs are evenly distributed over the categories of material.

Rate reusable packaging
Reusable packaging refers to packaging that, after being brought on the market, is returned, inspected, possibly cleaned, and refilled. We kindly ask you to specify the weight, for each material, both when you first introduce reusable packaging to the market and the total weight of the reusable packaging brought on to the market (including the intitial introduction, i.e. multiplying the total distribution by the weight of the reusable packaging). 

The requirements for reuse are:

• The packaging should be designed to last more than one cycle
• There must be a demonstrable system through which the packaging undergoes more than one cycle.

The annual declaration obligation is:

• The number of kilograms added to the pool for the first time in a year. You pay the rate for this. Calculate this by taking the number of added packaging * the weight per packaging.
• The number of cycles (in kilograms) of the reusable packaging each year. Calculate this by taking the number of units * the weight per packaging. No rate is linked to this. 

The first time you declare reusable packaging, you will be charged only the system fee (starting from 2023). For 2024, this fee is € 0,015 per kilogram. A mandatory declaration of the total weight of reusable packaging brought on the market applies, but no fee is associated with this. 

Rate for reusable plastic drinking cups
For 2024, a temporary seprate rate applies to reusable plastic drinking cups of €0.28 per kilogram and without SUP surcharge. This rate applies exclusively to reusable drinking cups from the Point of Sale Packaging List that meet the following conditions:

• The drinking cup is demonstrably intended, designed, and marketed to make multiple cycles within its lifespan by being refilled or reused for the same purpose for which it was designed

The condition "designed for" will be fulfilled in 2024 as follows: 

• The cup must be resistant to machine washing, and it must be proven that the cup has been tested in accordance with NEN-EN 12875-1:2005, demonstrating that the cup can withstand 125 cycles ("loops").

In 2024, Verpact will conduct research to determine the final rate for reusable consumer packaging and associated requirements for the year 2025 and beyond. 

This rate for reusable plastic drinking cups is a new, seperate rate for which no additional discount schemes such as fee modulation can be claimed. 

The expected costs for the collection, processing and recycling of packaging waste are increasing, resulting in higher rates for 2024 compared to 2023. What are the underlying causes for this?

Addtional statutory duties
As of 2023, Verpact has additional statutory duties: 

• The Single Use Plastic (SUP) legislation is a law that has a major impact on many producers and importers, as well as on Verpact itself. For packaging that falls under the SUP legislation, there is no declaration threshold of 50,000 kilo per calender year. Both the number of items and the weight of these packages must be declared. A SUP-surcharge applies for the number of items, the regular material rate applies for the weight. 
• The most significant impact on costs is the expansion of the ERP with commercial waste collection. As of 2023, Verpact is (financially) legally responsible for the collection, sorting and recycling of consumer packaging in commercial packaging waste. For instance, we see that the collection of glass from the hospitality industry has resulted in addtional costs. 
• The legal obligation for the deposit system for cans, in addition to the distribution of past deficits, has consequences for the expected costs and revenues of aluminium and other metals.  

Higher recycling targets
The Dutch government has imposed a recycling target for beverage cartons as of July 1st 2023, which means that more beverage cartons have to be collected and processed. Moreover, the legal recycling target for plastic will increase over the coming years. Verpact is responsible for achieving these targets in a cost-effective manner. 

Plastic Packaging 
In 2024, for the first time, we will make a distinction between rigid and flexible packaging in the declaration and rates. They both have their own starting rate, reflecting the costs incurred to recycle them. The starting rates for plastic will increase in 2024 due to the redistribution of costs resulting from the expansion of fee modulation.

Fee Modulation Plastic 2.0
Verpact introduces Fee Modulation at the same time as the new plastic rates scheme. This means that if your plastic packaging is highly recyclable, you can get a discount on the plastic material rate of up to 50 cents per kg. As a result, the contribution for plastic packaging that is highly recyclable may be signficantly lower for you than in 2023. Note! Fee Modulation does not apply to deposits or other rate components or discount schemes. 

*Falls outside tax-free threshold of 50,000 kilos per calendar year.

*Plastic lower rate (2019-2023)
Is your plastic packaging easy to sort and readily recyclable? If so, you might be eligible for Fee Modulation Plastic 1.0 and pay a reduced rate. 

**Plastic rigid and flexible
On January 1st 2024, we introduce Fee Modulation Plastic 2.0. In order to close the plastic packaging chain and produce as little new plastic as possible, plastic packaging that is thrown away must be used again as raw material for new plastic packaging. From plastic packaging, to plastic packaging. The easier a packaging is to recycle, the better this process goes. Verpact will therefore reward highly recyclable plastic packaging and the use of recyclate. We make a distinction between rigid and flexible packaging. 

Other categories of material  
This includes all packaging not made of glass, paper/cardboard, plastic, wood or metal, for example jute bags (textile) and stone jars/earthenware (ceramic).

Beverage cartons
On 1 July, 2023, the legal definition for beverage cartons changed. According to the amended legislation, beverage cartons are defined as: "packaging suitable for the packaging of liquid foodstuffs, excluding drinking cups, of which paper and/or cardboard is the main component". Read more about the application of the definition of beverage cartons here. 

For monitoring purposes, it is important that we know the composition of beverage cartons. Therefore, when submitting your declaration, you need to enter the weight per material type from which the beverage cartons are made. Note! The new definition applies to the declaration for the entire calendar year 2023. 

Indirect export
In the case of indirect export, a different rate applies to plastic. The other rates remain the same.

Plastic bottle for soft drink or water without deposit
You are required by law to register for the deposit scheme as quickly as possible. So, register now. Do you release plastic soft drinks and/or water bottles on the Dutch market which are not yet covered by the deposit scheme? Then you are obliged, even if you release less than 50,000 kilos per calendar year on the Dutch market, to file a declaration and pay the Packaging Waste Management Fee. You pay the regular (from 2024 rigid) plastic rate.

General rate (until 2022)
What if you are unable to determine the breakdown of your packaging according to category of material? The general rate applies in this case.

Read more about rates and our policy? Read about it here.