Plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons
By sorting your plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons (pmd), you can reduce your residual waste. Collected pmd waste is turned into new products such as shampoo bottles, lunchboxes and buckets. This benefits both the environment and saves you money. This page tells you how pmd is collected and what can and cannot go into pmd bags and containers.
From 2026: kerbside collection in even more districts
From 2026, the following districts will be added to our pmd collection routes. From then on, pmd will also be collected from kerbsides in these areas.
- Wyckerpoort
- Heugemerveld
- Wyck
- Jekerkwartier
- Kommelkwartier
- Statenkwartier
- Boschstraatkwartier
- Sint Maartenspoort
No kerbside collection in the central shopping area
In the city centre shopping area, many people live in high-rise buildings and student accommodation, where storage space is often limited. For this reason, pmd is still collected there via 8 milieuperrons (sorting stations) in the city centre.
Kerbside collection
Pmd waste is collected from kerbsides every 2 weeks in most parts of Maastricht. Please use the free pmb bags, which are available at various shops. Place the bags together in front of your home, as close to the kerbside as possible. Tie the bags securely and, if they are light, tie multiple bags together.
The MilieuApp (waste disposal app) and the waste collection calendar show whether pmd is collected in your street, and when.
Take pmd to sorting stations
If you live in the city centre shopping area, you can take pmd waste to 1 of the 8 nearby milieuperrons (sorting stations).
Locations of sorting stations in the city centre
- Villapark: Maasboulevard - Kennedybrug
- Sint Maartenspoort: Franciscus Romanusweg (Mediamarkt)
- Sint Maartenspoort: Louis Loyenstraat
- Binnenstad: Graanmarkt
- Jekerkwartier: Academieplein
- Boschstraatkwartier: Maasboulevard - Bassin
- Wyck: Spoorweglaan
- Statenkwartier: Cabergerweg
Place your pmd waste into the pmd container at the sorting station one item at a time. Packaging should be empty, but does not need to be completely clean. Where possible, separate different materials. This helps ensure packaging is ready for recycling and can be processed more efficiently.
Costs
You can dispose of pmd waste free of charge.
Complaint or report
If the pmd container is full, if your pmd has not been collected or if you have another question or comment, please report it via the BuitenBeter app or contact us on 14 043.
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From 1 January 2026, pmd will be collected from the kerbside in more districts, with the exception of the city centre shopping area.
Why is pmd being collected in more districts?
From 1 January 2025, pmd has been collected from the kerbside in a large part of Maastricht. This will now be extended to more districts. Kerbside collection makes it easier for residents to dispose of plastic packaging, metal packaging and drink cartons. Experience shows that people separate their waste better when pmd is collected from home. This improves the quality of the collected pmd, meaning less waste needs to be incinerated. That helps keep costs down for everyone.What is the city centre shopping area?
At the top of this page, under the heading ‘Disposal at sorting stations’, you will find a map of the city centre shopping area. In this area, pmd will continue to be collected via containers at milieuperrons (sorting stations).
I live on the edge of the city centre shopping area. Why is pmd collected on the other side of the street but not at my address?
This is due to the way districts and collection routes are organised. If you live, for example, on Grote Gracht or Lenculenstraat, you can take this into account and place your pmd bag at a nearby location where it is collected, such as on the opposite side of your street.
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Check the MilieuApp for a waste sorting guide. It tells you what waste goes where.
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We will continue to collect pmd every 2 weeks in 2026, always on Wednesdays.
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You can place your pmd bag in the same location as your red-and-white residual waste bag. Put it out on the evening before the collection day, from 19.00, and no later than 06.00 on the morning of collection. Tie the pmd bags securely using the drawstrings. If you put out more than 1 pmd bag, tie them together to reduce the risk of them blowing away.
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You can get the free PMD bags from the shops or supermarkets where you buy your residual waste bags. PMD bags are also available from Lidl (Herculeshof 37 and Kardinaal van Rossumplein 52) and Aldi ( Francois de Veyestraat 3, Malbergsingel 46-54 and Volksplein 34B) .
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No, there will be no kroonringen (rings on lampposts for hanging pmd bags) in Maastricht. Kroonringen have disadvantages: people put their trash out too early, other bags can get caught on them, and they make the street look messy.
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The pmd bag is about 60 litres, so it fits bins of 50 to 60 litres.
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There is no difference. You can use both.
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Yes, you can.
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- Partly full yoghurt cartons or shampoo bottles can cause problems at the sorting facility. This leads to unnecessary disruptions and batches of waste that cannot be recycled into new materials. Make sure packaging is properly emptied – squeezing or scraping it out is enough; rinsing is not necessary. Remove the aluminium lid from yoghurt pots. Both the plastic and the lid can go with the pmd, but please keep them separate. For the same reason, avoid stuffing plastic packaging inside empty tins. Make sure items are empty and loose, so your pmd is ready for recycling.
- Since 1 July 2021, a deposit has applied to PET bottles up to 1 litre. These should not be disposed of with pmd, but returned to the shop instead. Since 1 April 2023, the same deposit system has applied to cans.