The recycling fee on cars has been mandatory since 1 May 2021 for all passenger cars and light commercial vehicles that are registered in the Netherlands for the first time and for all used cars that are imported from abroad. The management fees that participating importers will pay next year for the collection and recycling of lithium-ion batteries removed from electric vehicles has also been made known. These will remain the same as they are this year.

Recycling fee for cars still falling

The recycling fee is payable when a car is brought into the Dutch market for the first time. The aim of the fee is to ensure that all cars in the Netherlands can be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner at the end of their useful  life. The fee fell from €30 to €25 in 2021 and last year it was further reduced to €22.50. From next year it will drop to €20. All this is in line with agreements made between the government and the industry in 2021. With the introduction of new European regulations on end-of-life vehicles, which are expected to come into force from 2025, it is not yet clear whether this amount can remain at this level in future.

Recycling level of end-of-life vehicles exceeds 98%

ARN uses the recycling fee payable on cars to meet the legal obligation of recycling and reusing a minimum of 95 per cent of end-of-life vehicles. In the Netherlands, end-of-life vehicles are sustainably recycled and practically all residual materials are gainfully reused. Partly thanks to the recycling fee, ARN, together with car-dismantling companies, shredder companies and recycling companies, has collectively attained a recycling level of over 98%. [https://arn.nl/nederlandse-sloopautos-voor-987-gerecycled/]

Management fees for car batteries unchanged

Given that they last longer than was originally anticipated, the management fee for the collection and recycling of lithium-ion car batteries was halved in 2022. The current fee is in line with expected future obligations for the collection and recycling of end-of-life car batteries. This is why management fees paid by participating car importers to ARN for collecting and recycling lithium-ion batteries will, as of 1 January 2024, remain unchanged.