Recycling contribution for cars further reduced

Car recycling is becoming increasingly efficient. In 2021, 98.3 percent of the material from a scrap car was reused, last year this increased further to 98.7 percent. This was already apparent from figures from Auto Recycling Netherlands (ARN). This also went hand in hand with a gradual reduction in the recycling contribution. Now there is more good news; the recycling contribution will decrease again.

While this year you have to pay €22.50 for a new car for its final recycling, that amount will be reduced to €20 in 2024. The recycling contribution is intended for the ARN and three hundred partners (or demolition companies) to recycle as much of the car as possible. This contribution is not only paid for brand new cars, but also for imported cars when they have a Dutch license plate for the first time. The recycling contribution has been declining for years. In 2021 it was €35, in 2022 €25 and this year €22.50. From 2010 to 2016 the contribution was still €45 and in the mid-1990s you even paid more than €113.

ARN appears to be taking into account an increase later this decade: “With the new European rules on end-of-life vehicles, which are expected to come into effect from 2025, it is still unclear whether this amount can remain at this level in the future.” Earlier this year, the European Commission presented a proposal to focus even more strongly on circularity in cars across the EU, by, among other things, tightening the requirements for production (in terms of recyclable material) but also the scrappage guidelines.

A separate recycling contribution is paid for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries from (partly) electric cars. These rates will not be adjusted before the new year. For example, for a battery weighing 25 to 100 kilos you will pay €25 and the amount will then gradually increase to €65 for a battery weight between 600 and 900 kilos.