Second-hand shops, rubbish disposal in Weert
Waste disposal is one of the main topic this century. Big cooperation, as well as individuals, have been looking into how ways to reduce industrial and household consumptions.
Reduce
Single-use plastic ban in The Netherlands will start next summer (3 July 2021) to protect beaches and oceans from plastic that pollutes and floats on the sea. Products that will be banned include plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers, and straws. Aside from government efforts, as individuals, we can begin to contribute towards this cause by living consciously and reducing our household waste. There are lots of simple ways that we can do to start this journey such as, use a reusable water bottle, buying grocery products that are wrapped in plastic wraps, choose quality products that will last longer, compost your food, etc. Here's a good article from zerowastehome - 100 tips to reduce your household waste. Take small steps that you feel comfortable with, it's better than none.
Reuse
In Dutch, second-hand stores are called kringloop winked. From household items, furniture, clothes, toys, etc there are several stores that you can visit in Weert. Here are some of the list:
Kringloopcentrum Weert
If you love refurbished furniture, this is probably the best shop you can find in Weert. They repainted old furniture to give a more updated look. They are not cheap, but definitely one of a kind.
Address: Kessenichstraat 17, 6004 TP Weert
Opening time: Tue to Fri from 1-5pm, Sat from 10am - 4pm
Reware Store
I must say, this is probably my favourite place for clothes shopping in Weert. The owner curated the collections that the store carries from pre-loved clothes, shoes, bags that people brought in. If you have stylish or designer clothing that you longer need you can bring it in and they'll give you a small cut for your old garment once it's sold.
Address: Beekstraat 54, 6001 GJ Weert
Opening Hours: Tue to Sat from 10am - 5.30pm
The Sponsor Store
If you are looking for toys for the kids, I think this store has the most options around. Naturally, you can bring in your kid's pre-loved toys too!
Address: Doctor Schaepmanstraat 17, 6004 AD Weert
Opening Hours: Thur and Fri from 1-4.30pm, Sat from 9am - 1pm
Kringloop Groothandel Weert
They have lots of things, but a little too messy for my liking. However, you may find wonders once in a while!
Address: Graafschap Hornelaan 129a, 6001 AC Weert
Opening Hours: Fri and Sat from 10am - 5pm
If you are willing to go a little bit further, here are other shops that could be quite fun too! H&H Koopjes (Nederweert), one of my favourite store - Het Goed (Roermond or Geldrop), Vederest (Budel)
Personally, I found tonnes of joy finding treasures in second-hand stores. A lot more thrills and satisfaction than buying a brand new item!
Recycle
Learn the proper way of recycling, from green waste/green bin, paper, plastic/material/drink packaging, glass, batteries, etc.
First, let's talk about the garbage bin, each house in Weert will have 1 big green bin with 2 compartments. The outer part of the compartment is for your vegetable, fruits and garden waste. To keep my big bin in kind of clean, I usually buy bio-degradable bags at Actions for the fresh kitchen waste. The inner part of your bin is for the general rubbish. Make sure that you do not throw the general rubbish into the outer part of the bin, else they will not empty your trash. If your bin has not been emptied or defective, you can call in Van Kaathoven household waste desk directly on telephone number (088) 7310031.
Below is the schedule for the different pick-up days based on areas in Weert:
Monday - Altweerterheide, Stramproy, Veldstraat and west of Veldstraat, Swartbroek, Tungelroy
Tuesday - Grasswinkle, Keent, west of Kerkstraat, Mosel, Stramproy
Wednesday - Colostrum, City Centre, Fatima, Canal zone I, Canal zone II, Keent, Leuken & Vrouwenhof
Thursday - Bungalow park, Kampershoek, Groenewoud, Molenakker, Kazernelaan & surroundings
Friday - Boshoven, Center-North, Hushoven, Kempenweg, Laar, Laarveld, Oda, Vrakker-West
Now, let's talk about the drinks bottle that you get from the supermarket (beers, water, wine, etc). They have a term called 'statiegeld' which is like a deposit for the bottle. Once you return these bottles to the respective supermarket bottle drop off area, you'll get a ticket which you can offset your groceries from.
Other rubbish such as Plastic + Metal + Drink containers have separate bins that you can find around every neighbourhood (PMD afval). Typically on these bin clusters, you'll find a salvation army bin as well where you can deposit old clothes, shoest etc. Make sure they are packed tightly in a clean bag with no holes to ensure that they don't get damaged before they are collected. Be considerate when you dispose of the items if those bins are full just look for other bins nearby or wait for few more days. That way we contribute to keeping the neighbourhood neat.
Lighting, electrical, cables and battery materials have dedicated recycling bins too that you can find inside a supermarket or other stores like Gamma, Action. You can also save bottle caps and deposit them to help fund the guide dog training. Schools usually have a collection bin for this.
Old papers such as newspapers, waste paper, boxes, egg cartons, advertisement folders that you get weekly etc have dedicated days in each neighbourhood where it would be collected by Weert municipality in collaboration with Oud Papier Centrale Wiermans. You can put them in front of your house on the scheduled day. Just make sure that they remain dry, no plastic wraps or anything else and they weigh less than 15kg. View here for more details on the schedule.
Bulky items disposals have their own dedicated area called Millieustraat.
Address: Graafschap Hornelaan 207 / 209 Weert
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed to Fri - 1pm - 5pm, Sat - 9am to 3pm (Closed on Tue & Sun).
You can dispose of bulky things from tiles, flooring, roofs, furniture, bulky packing from furniture and appliances and so on. You need your card (Weerterlandpas) which you receive within 2 weeks or so after you register with Gemeente Weert. Each household gets 6 times entry where you can dispose 1m3 of waste. If you need more, they will charge €20 per cut (you can only pay this with your atm card at Milleustraat). Another thing to take note of before visiting Milleustraat, it is best to sort out your rubbish at home according to their base materials, such as plastic, wood, paper, etc.
If your car does not fit the size of the bulky furniture, perhaps you can rent a trailer for the day. More details on trailer renting can be found on my past blog here.
There are so many avenues that help individuals to properly recycle household waste here in Europe. So, let's do our part and be kind to the environment!