AMSTERDAM: Tax on residual waste in the Netherlands could increase the country’s import of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), a leading Dutch energy-from-waste company said.
A levy of €13(£10)/tonne levy came into force in January but it applies only to waste generated within the country. Landfill was already taxed at €13/tonne. The Netherlands took over half of the RDF material exported by the UK in the first quarter of 2014.
The expectation is that the new tax on combustible waste will result in more recycling of plastic, paper and biomass,” the spokeswoman said. “Less combustible waste will be the outcome and that will probably result in more [imported material] which is excluded from the tax.”
Andy Hill, head of alternative fuel at Sita UK, one of the main RDF exporters, said: “The average recycling rate in the Netherlands is already very good, so it is unlikely that a new tax regime will have a significant positive impact on recycling rates.However, any additional capacity created as a result can, and will likely, be filled by RDF exported from the UK.”
