Netherlands Sets January Start For Business E-Waste Handover Rules

The Netherlands has adopted a decree governing the handover of waste electrical and electronic equipment by specified businesses. Published on 28 October 2026 as Staatsblad 2026, 339, it enters into force on 1 January 2027.

The changes cover activities including metal recycling, construction and installation work, datacentres, laboratories and hospitals. They also introduce a collection-permit requirement for waste electrical and electronic equipment and expand reporting on its receipt by processors.

Permitted Handover Routes

New Article 4.595b of the Environmental Activities Decree provides three routes. Covered waste equipment must go to a processor meeting Article 11 of the Dutch WEEE regulation, a designated business collection point established by a producer or producer organisation, or a collector holding the relevant permit.

The explanatory memorandum links the measure to the existing framework for separate collection and appropriate treatment. It describes the new handover provisions as a more detailed expression of existing waste-management duties, rather than a replacement for them.

Waste Status And Repair

The explanatory memorandum distinguishes waste equipment from equipment being repaired or sold for reuse before it becomes waste. The handover duty starts when the owner decides to discard the equipment and it becomes waste in legal terms.

Preparing discarded equipment for reuse remains a waste-treatment activity subject to the applicable requirements. The decree therefore does not create a general exemption for discarded equipment simply because it may later be repaired or refurbished.