Even fewer kilometers, lower emissions, and less traffic congestion in Amsterdam. Starting this month, Green Collective is expanding its operations in the city. Green Collective brings together waste collectors to jointly collect commercial waste within municipalities. The initiative will now cover a larger area and will deploy two electric vehicles to further reduce emissions and help develop the city’s commitment to sustainability. By using collection vehicles bearing the Green Collective logo along shared routes, the initiative contributes to a cleaner, more accessible, and safer city.

Green Collective, an initiative by PreZero and Renewi, unites waste collectors to collaboratively collect commercial waste in municipalities. It launched seven years ago with the goal of contributing significantly to the Green Deal Zero Emission City Logistics (ZES): fewer kilometers, lower emissions, and reduced congestion in city centers. The now-successful initiative operates in over 30 municipalities, has already saved 3,880,000 kg of CO₂, and has reduced travel by 2,070,000 km—the equivalent of circling the Earth 51.5 times.

Ring A10

Green Collective was already operating along Amsterdam’s “Red Carpet,” the above-ground route of the North/South metro line that runs from the Damrak. As of this month, collection vehicles bearing the Green Collective logo can now be seen throughout the entire area within the A10 ring road. To serve this expanded area, the number of vehicles has increased to ten—two of which are fully electric. Previously, the operation used just three vehicles in total.

Alderman Hester van Buren (Waste and Cleaning):
"The municipality of Amsterdam is aiming for more efficient and sustainable commercial waste collection. Initiatives like Green Collective make a valuable contribution to these goals. Collective waste collection reduces vehicle movements and alleviates congestion in the city."

Stronger Together

Collaboration is at the heart of Green Collective. The City of Amsterdam, Renewi, and PreZero are jointly collecting commercial waste within the A10 ring.

Wilco Ledderhof, Manager of Business Development at Green Collective, said:
"Together we can go further, and this initiative is proof of that once again. By bundling collection activities within the A10 ring and partially switching to electric vehicles, we’re not only reducing harmful emissions but also contributing to more efficient and sustainable waste collection. I’m convinced that this type of collaboration and innovation is essential for the future. We invite other collectors to join us in working toward cleaner air and more accessible cities."

Future Ambitions

In addition to expanding into new municipalities, Green Collective aims to grow its coverage in existing cities—just as it's now doing in Amsterdam. It also plans to start collecting more waste streams, such as paper, cardboard, plastic packaging, and drink cartons (PD).

No Change to Existing Services

Existing services and contracts with customers of the participating collectors will remain unchanged. Each customer retains their current contract with their own waste collector, but their commercial waste will now be picked up by a collection vehicle with the Green Collective logo.

Green Deal ZES

Green Collective is leading the way in helping achieve the goals of the Green Deal Zero Emission City Logistics, an agreement aimed at significantly reducing harmful emissions in city centers. By combining collection activities, they can perform these tasks much more efficiently, sustainably, and safely. Through smart, collaborative waste collection, they are working toward a more accessible and safer city—and contributing to cleaner air.