Another Step Toward a Litter-Free Downtown
Temporary containers, permanently clean
To keep the center of Wassenaar free of litter, starting June 22, 2026, the municipality will place above-ground containers for household residual waste on a weekly basis. Alderman Struik officially inaugurated the first container at the event plaza near Van Hogendorpstraat.
Until now, residents have placed their residual waste in bags on the street, after which Avalex collected them. “This regularly caused a nuisance. Birds, foxes, and other animals tore the bags open, causing trash to end up on the street. And you don’t want that in our beautiful town center,” says Alderman . “The municipality is working on a long-term solution involving underground general waste containers instead of bag collection.”
Weekly placement
“To prevent litter in the meantime, the municipality is implementing a temporary measure,” said Struik. “Starting this week, Avalex will stop collecting loose residual waste bags in the city center. Instead, the municipality will place above-ground containers at central locations on a weekly basis. The above-ground containers are intended for household residual waste from immediate residents who currently have bag collection. Business owners will arrange their own (commercial) waste collection. We are informing residents and business owners via a personal letter, which will be delivered door-to-door shortly.”
Stronger Together
“This approach also aligns with the council’s desire to see a litter-free downtown. And of course, that’s what we all want. The great thing about this solution is that it doesn’t involve any additional costs. This method of collection eliminates the need for extra efforts to clean up litter. We can only achieve this together: the municipality, Avalex, residents, and business owners. Residents pay for the waste collection service, so it’s important to manage this carefully. It’s a huge challenge to properly organize everything related to waste. It affects everyone and is always a puzzle. But luckily, I love puzzles—and especially solving them.”
Containers at central locations
The temporary above-ground containers for household residual waste will be placed at the following locations:
• The event plaza near Van Hogendorpstraat
• De Achterweg/Luifelbaan
• Den Hoek (current situation)
With the exception of the Den Hoek location, the seven containers in total are placed at the end of the day every Monday and removed again on Tuesday morning. Residents in the area can dispose of their general waste in one of the containers during this time.
Attractive streetscape, clean downtown
“We hope to help people and shop owners keep this area cleaner,” say Mark and Ron from the Public Space Maintenance Department. “We think the above-ground containers—and soon the underground ones—are a good move. We deliver the containers every Monday afternoon and pick them up again on Tuesday morning. This keeps the streets looking nice and helps us maintain a clean downtown.”
