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.
Home collection
Pmd waste is collected from home 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.
You can check collection days for your street in the MilieuApp (waste disposal app) or on the waste calendar you receive each December
Sorting stations in the city centre
If you live in the city centre, you can take pmd waste to a nearby milieuperron (sorting station). Please place pmd waste one item at a time into the pmd container. Pmd is not collected from home in the city centre. The city centre is the area bounded by the Groene Loper, Noorderbrug and Kennedybrug routes and Hertogsingel.
Costs
Disposal of pmd waste is free of charge.
Complaint or report
You can make a report if a pmd container is full, if your pmd has not been collected or if you have another question or comment. Report it via the MijnGemeente app or contact us by calling 14 043.
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Check the MilieuApp for a waste sorting guide. It tells you what waste goes where.
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There are several reasons. It makes it easier for residents to dispose of pmd—no more trips to the milieuperrons (sorting stations). Other municipalities have found that introducing door-to-door pmd collection helps people separate their waste even better.
Making it easier to dispose of waste also makes Maastricht cleaner and more sustainable. Ultimately, we want no more waste in Maastricht—only raw materials that can be turned into new products.
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Many students live in shared accommodation in the centre, and there are also a lot of high-rise buildings, so storage space is often limited. The city centre is also a tourist area (with many shops and hospitality venues). Therefore, pmd will not be collected door to door yet, but will continue to be collected at the 12 sorting stations.
2025 is a transitional year in which the council will explore the possibility of collecting pmd door to door in (parts of) the city centre in the future, or look into any other necessary measures.
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Yes. You should have received a new waste calendar (including pmd collection days) in the post. The collection dates are also shown in the MilieuApp.
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Place your pmd bag in the same spot where you leave your red-and-white residual waste bag. You may do this from 19.00 on the evening before collection until 06.00 on the morning of collection. Tie the pmd bags tightly with the drawstring. If you have several pmd bags, tie them together so they are less likely to blow away.
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You can collect free pmd bags from the same shops or supermarkets where you buy red-and-white residual waste bags. Chech the page about residual waste for a list of all locations.
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No, we are in a transition phase. From Week 3, the pmd containers at milieuperrons (sorting stations) will be replaced by containers for paper, nappies or glass. Please note that the nappy container requires a milieupas (waste disposal pass), and you must request access from the municipality in advance. See our page about nappies and incontinence products for more information.
In the city centre, the pmd containers will remain at the recycling points, as pmd is not collected from home in that area.
Sorting stations where pmd containers will still be available
- Sint Maartenspoort – Franciscus Romanusweg (Mediamarkt)
- Sint Maartenspoort – Louis Loyenstraat
- Heugemerveld – Bloemenweg
- Binnenstad – Graanmarkt
- Jekerkwartier – Academieplein
- Statenkwartier – Cabergerweg
- Boschstraatkwartier – Maasboulevard – Bassin
- Wyck – Spoorweglaan
- Wyckerpoort – Heerderweg – Heerderdwarsstraat
- Wyckerpoort – Noormannensingel
- Wyckerpoort – Old Hickoryplein
- Villapark – Maasboulevard – Kennedybrug
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You can always drop off pmd bags free of charge at the milieuparken (recycling centres) in Maastricht or Valkenburg.
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If your waste was not collected, or if you have another question or comment, please report it via the MijnGemeente app or call us on 14 043.
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No. For the time being, there are no plans to introduce kroonringen (rings on lampposts for hanging pmd bags). Home collection of pmd can also work without them. We will look into the possibility of introducing kroonringen in 2025.
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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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- A half-empty carton of yoghurt or a bottle of shampoo that hasn’t been fully used can cause problems for sorting machines. This leads to unnecessary disruptions and batches of waste that cannot be recycled into new materials. Make sure to squeeze or scoop out the packaging completely – rinsing isn’t necessary. For yoghurt pots, remove the aluminium lid. Both materials can go in with your pmd waste, but should be separated. Similarly, avoid stuffing plastic packaging inside an empty tin. Make sure everything is empty and separate – that way, your pmd waste is ready for recycling.
- Since 1 July 2021, a deposit has also been charged on PET bottles up to 1 litre. Do not throw them in with pmd waste; return them at a deposit machine in a shop or supermarket instead. As of 1 April 2023, a deposit also applies to cans, so the same rule applies.