The Municipality of The Hague is presenting the Progress Report on the Waste Action Plan 2025 today. The report shows what has been done over the past year to keep the city clean, where the biggest developments and challenges lie, when the key steps were taken, and how and in what manner the municipality will further scale up the approach in 2026. An important finding is that the waste challenge continues to grow: in particular, the number of illegal dumpings of bulky waste increased sharply. The report also shows that while many steps will have been taken in 2025 thanks to the efforts of residents, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and municipal services, we are not there yet. Due to the growth in the number of residents and visitors, pressure on public space continues to increase, meaning that additional effort and further intensification remain necessary.
“ We are seeing the results of the efforts of residents, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and our own services. The involvement of so many people from The Hague truly makes a difference. The results show that these efforts are working, but also that we are not there yet. The growth of the city requires an approach that moves with the rhythm of The Hague. That is why we are pressing even harder in 2026, with extra attention to the places where it is needed most ,” says Alderman Arjen Kapteijns (Raw Materials).
Strong growth in resident involvement
Interventions have been carried out in virtually all neighborhoods that have enhanced livability. Residents, entrepreneurs, and social organizations played an important role in this. The number of ORAC adopters grew to 1,682, and over 1,000 volunteers actively contributed to cleanup campaigns and neighborhood initiatives. In neighborhoods such as Moerwijk, Rustenburg-Oostbroek, Laak, and the Schilderswijk, new projects have emerged in which young people, residents’ groups, and informal networks such as community centers and neighborhood fathers and mothers work together to keep the neighborhood clean. This commitment is highly appreciated, encouraged, and supported by the municipality.
Large deployment of municipal services
Municipal services also delivered a strong performance in 2025. Reports regarding waste and cleanliness were handled on time in 90% of cases, well above the standard of 85%. The Haagse Straat Organisatie and Haagse Milieu Services ensured that waste was collected on time and that the city generally remained clean, despite increasing pressure from growing visitor flows, more large packaging and boxes resulting from online orders, and intensive use of public space.
Growing waste challenge and visible improvements
The insights from the recent Erasmus study confirm that litter nuisance is not caused solely by improper behavior, but is strongly linked to daily routines, limited space, social pressure, and language or knowledge barriers. The study emphasizes that enforcement is important, but has insufficient effect without better communication, trust, and support in the neighborhood. The conclusions align closely with the measures in the current Waste Action Plan 2023–2026 and provide direction for further intensification of the waste approach, so that measures better fit the daily lives of residents.
The progress report shows that the waste challenge continues to grow. The amount of illegal dumping of bulky waste rose to 11.2 million kilos, an increase of 600,000 kilos compared to 2024. The number of misplaced bags and boxes also increased. In addition, the 25 priority districts lagged behind the target for eight different types of waste: the score came in at 64%, below The Hague’s ambition level of 80%. Efforts in the priority areas will be continued in 2026.
At the same time, improvements are also visible thanks to the extra effort. Weekend work was nearly tripled in the fourth quarter of 2025, resulting in the city being significantly cleaner on Monday mornings. The deployment of four additional sweeping machines, sixteen employees, and agile cleaning machines led to better results in the priority neighborhoods. Measurements for fine litter, primarily harmful cigarette filters, improved throughout 2025: in the priority areas, the score increased from 39% in the first quarter to 49% in the fourth quarter. Scores for bulky litter also show a clear improvement compared to 2024.
Increased focus on circularity and service provision
In addition, 24 cleanup days were organized in 2025, during which collaboration with repair cafés took place on four of those days to give electrical appliances a second life. Nearly 205,000 residents also visited a waste drop-off station, and 161,000 bulky waste collection appointments were carried out. The 125,000 reports regarding waste and cleanliness show that residents are actively involved in improving their living environment.
Outlook 2026
In 2026, the approach will be further intensified. The structural expansion of weekend cleaning will be continued, extra efforts will be made to reduce fine litter through education, facilities, and enforcement, and area-based working will be further strengthened. The waste approach will also be more explicitly linked to the raw materials transition, so that increased reuse of items and materials contributes to waste reduction. The results of the first quarter of 2026 show that the city is becoming visibly cleaner; effective measures are therefore being continued and expanded.
Text: Gemeente Den Haag