Frequently asked questions
Waste collection
You can only open the container with the Avalex pass in card form:
• Hold the Avalex pass on the screen (display) until you hear a click;
• Open de container;
• Put your household waste in the container;
• Close the container.
If you no longer have an Avalex pass, you can request a new pass for €7.50
Does the container no longer open or is it full? Sometimes a container is genuinely full, but it is also possible that something is preventing the lid from opening. That's why it is a good idea to notify us of this using this page.
We will always ask for the container number. You will find this number on a plate attached to the neighbourhood container, and it always starts with three letters. If we know the individual container number, we can find out more quickly what is going on. We will also know for sure that we’re emptying the correct container.
Is there waste next to the container? We would like to know about that too. So please take a good look at what exactly there is. We collect iron, mattresses and electrical appliances separately, so that they can be properly recycled.
Is a container in your neighborhood full or defective? Create a report using this page! Our employees will ask you to provide a container number. This container number can be found on the container plates that are mounted in a visible spot on the container. This ensures that we can quickly resolve any issues.
We can collect and empty the container at the Avalex site in Delft, so that you can look for the lost item yourself. Also take your (digital) Avalex pass with you! This is not free, because picking up and emptying a container in between takes a lot of time and money. You pay €165 per time for this. So consider carefully whether the lost item is really valuable and whether you think it is worth paying this amount. If so, please note the container number on the container and call as soon as possible Customer Contact Center .Please note that you will also have to pay €165 if you do not find the lost item.
Avalex pass
That's right. Unfortunately, customers of these banks cannot currently activate a digital card.
You can also visit the recycling centre with the physical Avalex pass (card). No pass? You can request this via our website or via the Avalex App. The pass costs €7.50.
When you activate the pass and every six months thereafter. You can see this from the expiry date stated on your digital pass.
No, unfortunately that is not possible. This is only possible with the physical Avalex pass (card).
iDIN is based on internet banking and uses the same security techniques. This means that iDIN is just as safe as internet banking. More information can be found at iDIN | Identify online through your bank.
The Avalex pass contains a chip that runs through the entire pass. If it has a corner chipped off or the pass is bent, it may not work anymore. This also applies if there is a hole in it.
Is your physical Avalex pass no longer working and do you only use it to go to the recycling center? Then activate the free digital pass in the Avalex App. Handy, because now you only have to take your phone with you when you go to the recycling center.
Residents who need an Avalex pass to open underground containers must still apply for an Avalex pass in the form of a card. This card costs €7.50.
Do you have an Avalex pass in the form of a card? Then don't take it with you to your new home, but leave it behind for the new residents. The Avalex pass belongs to the address.
Do you have a digital Avalex pass? Then disconnect the card in the Avalex App. You can also disconnect all digital passes for your address at the touch of a button.
You can request a new pass yourself. A new pass costs €7.50. Do you only want to use the pass to visit our recycling centers? Then choose a digital pass, which is free.
Do you want an Avalex pass to gain access to the recycling centers? Then you only need the free digital Avalex pass. You can only activate this in the Avalex App.
Do you also need the Avalex pass to open closed (underground) containers? Then you need the physical Avalex pass (card), which costs €7.50. You apply for the card via the website or via the Avalex App.
The digital Avalex pass is free. You pay €7.50 for the Avalex pass in the form of a card. More information about these two types of passes can be found on the page where you can request a Avalex pass: aanvragen.
You can't cancel a request for a new Avalex pass. That also means that we do not return your money.
You can activate the free digital Avalex pass in the Avalex App. For €7.50 you can also request an extra Avalex pass in the form of a plastic card ( maximum of two additional pieces per address).
When visiting a recycling center, you must be able to prove that you actually live on the address that the (digital) pass is registered to.
Bulky waste
We are committed to providing a good service. However, there are times when a bulky waste appointment does not go as planned. Perhaps the bulky waste or the location was different to what our personnel expected. We do understand that this is inconvenient for you. So please call us on 0900-0507 or fill in the contact form and we will resolve the matter with you as quickly as possible.
There are a number of possible explanations as to why the bulky waste was not collected. We begin collections from 07.30 in the morning, so the bulky waste must be put out before 07.30 at a place on the public road accessible for the refuse collection lorry. If bulky waste is on private property, such as your front yard or in a driveway, then our personnel are not allowed to take it. This is to avoid confusing bulky waste with items you may not want to dispose of.
You cannot put out items from waste streams such as glass, stone, rubble, car tyres (without rims only), sleepers, bitumen, roof waste, Eternit, grass sods, asbestos and chemical waste. All these types of waste materials should be taken to the recycling centre. We also cannot accept earth, soil and sand (not even at the recycling centre) because it has to be specially tested.
For more information, please see the rules for putting out bulky waste.
Part of the bulky waste on the street is there because an appointment has been made with us to collect it. Unfortunately, bulky waste is sometimes illegally placed on the street without an appointment. On this page you can make a report, we will pick it up as soon as possible.
If bulky waste has been put next to a container, please let us know the individual container number. That way we will know for sure that the refuse collection lorry will be going to the right place. Is the bulky waste elsewhere? Then please let us know the name of the street and the nearest house number.
It would also help us if you could let us know exactly what kind of waste has been put out, so that we can send the right kind of collection vehicle. This is to ensure that everything is cleaned up as quickly as possible. Mattresses and iron are collected separately so that they can be properly recycled.
No. You cannot put out waste for waste streams such as flat glass, stone, rubble, car tyres (without rims only), impregnated wood (such as fences and sleepers), bitumen, roof waste, Eternit, grass sods, asbestos and chemical waste. These types of waste should be taken to the recycling centre. In some cases, with some types of contaminated waste, there is a charge for bringing it. There are also substances for which special measures are required during collection – for example, asbestos and chemical waste.
Please note: you cannot dispose of earth, soil or sand at the recycling centres nor put it out as bulky waste. To dispose of this material, we would like to refer you to the following: AH Vrij (Wateringen) en Verboon Grondbank (The Hague).
| Municipality | Max. number of cubic metres |
| Delft | 1 m3 |
| Pijnacker-Nootdorp | 2 m3 |
| Leidschendam-Voorburg | 2 m3 |
| Midden-Delfland | 2 m3 |
| Rijswijk | 2 m3 |
| Wassenaar | 1 m3 |
Bulky waste that we collect from your street may not be more than 1.5 metres long and 0.5 metres high/wide. Is it longer or wider? Then we would ask you to bring it to the recycling centre yourself. That said, if you have large furniture to dispose of, it may not have to meet these dimensions specifically. Pay attention to the number of cubic metres that your own municipality allows. And if in doubt, please contact us.
Recycle centres
No, the measure only applies to residents of Avalex municipalities.
No. You have one hour to hand in your belongings at the recycling centre. It does not matter how many times you drive through the barrier. This counts as one visit.
Yes, you can visit the Avalex recycling centres 12 times a year for free, regardless of which recycling center you visit.
No, you can request this from the Customer Contact Center or at the recycling centre.
When you visit the recycling centre, present your (digital) Avalex pass at the entrance. At the 6th visit, the recycling centre employee will indicate that you still have 6 visits left. At the 12th visit, the recycling centre employee reports that all subsequent visits will be paid.
Avalex maximizes the number of free visits to the recycling center to limit improper use for non-household waste and excessive use of the recycling centre as much as possible.
Yes. To gain access to a recycle centre, you will need an Avalex pass (card or digital). Only private individuals (not businesses) can apply for this pass. When you visit a recycling centre, you must be able to show that you live at the address on the Avalex pass.
No, the measure only applies to Avalex's recycling centres.
Because we only collect waste from private households, businesses are not allowed to bring waste to our recycle centres. Companies must find alternative ways of disposing of their waste.
From the thirteenth visit in a year you pay a fixed rate of €16.90 per visit. This excludes any costs for returned polluting waste types for which payment must be made (paid flows). Paid flows are independent of the number of visits. Payment is only possible with PIN at the recycling center. An overview of the costs can be found in the list of charges.
Are you going to one of our recycle centres? Don't forget to bring your Avalex pass.
Milieustraat Delft
Voltaweg 11 2627 BD Delft
Monday to Saturday: 08.00 to 17.00
Busy period during the week is between 10.00 and 15.00. Please take waiting times into account.
Milieustraat Rijswijk
Laan van ‘s-Gravenmade 9 2495 BD Den Haag
Monday to Saturday: 08.00 to 17.00
Milieustraat Wassenaar
Hogeboomseweg 6 2241 BG Wassenaar
maandag tot en met zaterdag van 08.00 tot 17.00 uur
Residents of the municipalities of Delft, Rijswijk, Midden-Delfland, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Pijnacker-Nootdorp and Wassenaar can go to all three Avalex recycle centres. Don't forget to bring your Avalex pass. Do you live in Voorschoten? Then you can go to the recycle centre in Wassenaar.
Small amounts of sand and soil are allowed in the VFG container, such as loose sand from sweeping up or earth still hanging from a clod.
However, large quantities of sand and soil should be taken to special final processors, so that they can be tested for contamination. We would like to refer you to the following: AH Vrij (Wateringen) and Verboon Grondbank (The Hague). Please note: We do not accept sand or soil at our recycling centres.
Asbestos is hazardous to health. You may therefore never put this material in a container or put it with the bulky waste.
Do you have more than 35 m2 of asbestos? Then you must have it removed by a certified asbestos removal company.
Do you have less than 35 m2 of asbestos and it cannot be damaged during removal and transport? Then, as a private individual, you can remove asbestos yourself and hand it in to the Avalex recycling centres. How does that work?
Then, as a private individual, you can remove asbestos yourself and hand it in to the Avalex recycling centres. How does that work?
Step 1
First report to the municipality in which you live that you are going to hand in asbestos at the recycling centre. You can report this at omgevingsloket.nl. You will then receive an answer from the municipality. Rules may differ per municipality. At the end of the message you will find the link to information about asbestos removal in your municipality.
Step 2
Then pack the object well, in special foil or bags. Upon presentation of your permit issued by the environmental counter, you can collect packaging material at the recycling center. You are not allowed to pack asbestos at the recycling centre.
Step 3
As soon as you take the well-packed asbestos to the recycling centre, you must have the printed permit from the municipality with you. After delivery you will receive a weighing receipt from the employees, which you must keep with the permit.
Let op! You may offer small objects, such as eternit planters, without a permit, but they must be packed in the special bags that you pick up at the recycling centre.
Information per municipality:
Minicontainers
Do we empty your mini-container using a side loader or a rear loader? Depending on the type of refuse collection lorry, the following rules apply to how you should put out your container:
Rear loader:
- Put the container out at the collection point that belongs to your home before 07.30 in the morning. The container can be emptied until 16.00.
- Place the container so that the handles are facing towards the road.
- Make sure the lid is closed and that no waste is sticking out of the container.
- The container should not be heavier than 60 kg.
- Do not put bags, boxes or other loose waste next to the container.
- Remove the empty container from the street on the same day.
- Are there roadworks in your street? Then put the container in a place that can be accessed by the refuse collection lorry.
- Put any dust or ashes in a sealed bag before putting it into the container.
- Preferably put PMD waste into a transparent bag.
Side loader:
- Put the container out at the collection point that belongs to your home before 07.30 in the morning. The container can be emptied until 16.00.
- Leave a space the width of a paving stone between your container and that of your neighbours’ containers.
- Place your container with the opening towards the road.
- Make sure the lid is closed and that no waste is sticking out of the container.
- Do not put your container next to obstacles such as posts, trees and cars.
- Do not put bags, boxes or other loose waste next to the container.
- Remove the empty container from the street on the same day.
- Are there roadworks in your street? Then put the container in a place that can be accessed by the refuse collection lorry.
- Put any dust or ashes in a sealed bag before putting it into the container.
- Preferably put PMD waste into a transparent bag.
Is your container goe? In the case of a missing container, we would like to ask you to wait a while and see if it will resurface by itself. Sometimes the container is suddenly returned after a week. Have you already waited and is the container really gone? Then call 0900-0507 or fill out the contactform to request a new one. Please provide your address, the type of waste (residual waste, GFT, paper or PMD) and if you know the size of the container: small (140L) or large (240L).
Unfortunately, it can sometimes happen that the container is dented or torn and can no longer be used. We will then exchange the container for a new one as soon as possible. Call us on 0900-0507 or fill out the contactform , so we can coordinate where and when the old container is collected. Let us know what type of container it concerns (residual waste, organic waste, paper or PMD) and, if you know, whether it was a small container (capacity 140L) or a large container (capacity 240L). You can find the size on the address sticker on the side of the container.
Do you have more waste than fits into your current containers? It is often possible to get an extra container. The costs and provisions differ for each municipality. We have made a list for your information.
Do you have too much residual waste? First see if you can reduce the amount of residual waste by separating out more waste. If you separate out raw materials such as VFG waste, paper and PMD waste, there will often be only a small amount of residual waste left. In some cases, you will need permission from the municipality to get an extra residual waste container. Please see the information on additional containers.
Do you not yet have a PMD container, but would like one? Unfortunately, we can only give out PMD containers in neighbourhoods where ‘The New Collection’ has already been implemented. Other areas do not yet have routes established for the refuse collection lorries. Would you still like to separate out your PMD waste? (We appreciate that!) Then log in with your post code and house number. You can then check the map to see if there is a neighbourhood container near you.
Is your container too big or too small? In many cases you can exchange the container for a different size. We have two sizes: the small has a capacity of 140L and the large has a capacity of 240L. You can find the size of your current container on the address sticker on the side. You can also compare with the picture. Call us on 0900-0507 or fill out the contactform and we will let you know if exchange is possible and if we can make an appointment.
The other containers might still be emptied during the day. In some areas, multiple types of waste is collected on the same day, but the refuse collection lorries don't always come at the same time. If your container was outside at 07.30 on a collection day, it will be emptied before 16.00.
If your container has not been emptied, there are several possible explanations. Have the other containers in the street not been emptied as well? Please contact us within 48 hours using this page. We will then find out as soon as possible what is going on and how this can be resolved.
Have the other containers in the street been emptied? First consider what time you put your container outside. The refuse collection lorry will be active as of 07.30 in the morning, so make sure your container has been put out on the street before then. If you put it out later than 07.30, the refuse collection lorry may have already gone by.
Sometimes a container is not emptied because it contains things that do not belong there. For example, residual waste or diapers in a PMD container, sand and soil in a VFG container, or a microwave in the residual waste container. We would then ask you to remove those things that do not belong in the container yourself and to dispose of them properly.
In the case of VFG waste, branches sometimes get stuck in the container or do not fall out during emptying. Cut the branches into smaller pieces yourself with a hedge trimmer and put the container out again on the next available collection day.
For more information, see the rules for putting out mini containers.
Do you have a mini container, but your waste collection calendar is not visible after logging in to our website? Please contact the Avalex Customer Contact Center. We can be reached by telephone on working days from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm via telephone number 0900 0507 (5 cents per minute) or via the contact form .
Put your waste out before 7.30 in the morning. We will collect it sometime between 7.30 and 16.00.
Unfortunately, we are not able to give you an exact time. After your container(s) has been emptied, please take it inside as soon as possible, so that there is enough space on the pavement.
Fill level sensors
Almost all Avalex aboveground and underground containers are equipped with fill level sensors.
This means that we can tell from a distance whether a container is full or not. We call this the ‘fill level’. If we study this for a period of time, we can start to predict when most people will put waste in the containers. And if we know when containers are getting full, we can also make sure that they are emptied on time.
It is quite difficult to predict fill levels. If residents do a house clear-out and come up with a lot of waste, this can fill up such a container in one go. Nevertheless, we do try to look at the ‘behaviour’ of containers in a whole Avalex area. Because the Avalex area is so large, this is a job that can take quite some time. However, if we can improve our forecasts, we can also adjust our routes by emptying the containers more often or on a different day. That way, we try every day to ensure that the containers can be used by everyone.
No. Avalex has the job of keeping the streets tidy and we never put anything next to a container. This is something residents do and it is very unfortunate, because it quickly creates a mess which then has to be cleaned up. Even the smartest sensors or computer programmes cannot prevent this. That’s why you should never put anything next to a container. After all, everyone wants the street to be tidy, right? What the sensors can prevent in the future is an overfull container.
In the future, information from the sensors will enable us to take the next step: dynamic routes. Based on the sensor information, the software then comes up with the best collection routes for each day. We now know which underground and aboveground containers fill up quickly, so we will be able to calculate in advance which containers will be emptied at what time. And we can also receive a signal that tells us if a container is suddenly full. Based on that, we can map out a route. Of course, all this will not happen overnight. There will be a period in which both our drivers and our residents will have to get used to this.
At present, the underground and aboveground containers are emptied at a fixed frequency. But that will be changing. Soon, our drivers will only go to a container if it needs emptying. In that sense, the route will be determined by the containers that are almost full. It will also take some time for our residents to get used to it. They might see an Avalex refuse collection lorry driving right past the containers, without emptying them all. It’s a whole new way of collecting waste!