Environment/sustainability

Walkers at the Nijmegen Four Days Marches can now hand in empty cans and bottles at new deposit shelters along the route. Statiegeld Nederland expects the initiative to reduce litter and collect around 100,000 containers. Several bus shelters also serve as donation points.

A major fire broke out early this morning in a business building in Udenhout. Several companies work from the affected property, and the blaze is sending heavy smoke across the area. Authorities advise residents to keep windows and doors shut.

Dutch breweries expect little disruption from the national water shortage thanks to their own underground water sources. While the government prepares new conservation measures, major brewers say they can maintain production and adjust tap‑water usage during peak times.

The Netherlands has entered an official water‑shortage phase as river levels drop and ditches dry out. Authorities are preparing new measures, including adjusting river weirs and pumps, while urging residents to use drinking water consciously.

Dutch households threw away slightly less waste in 2025, mainly due to a drop in organic waste. Dry weather reduced garden growth, leading to fewer clippings and prunings. Residual waste levels stayed nearly the same, and waste separation rates have remained stable at around 60 percent.

A prolonged period of dry weather has prompted Water Board Rivierenland to restrict water use in part of Gelderland. Similar measures are already in place elsewhere in the southern Netherlands as authorities try to protect dwindling water supplies.

The Netherlands has entered its third regional heatwave of the summer after Gilze‑Rijen reached 25.4 degrees on Monday. Several other locations may also qualify if temperatures rise to 30 degrees later today. The previous heatwave ended only a few weeks ago.

Three environmental organisations have accused the province of North Brabant of using faulty data to protect a local biomass power plant. The groups claim officials are artificially inflating current emission figures to make future targets look like a major reduction. Legal action may follow if the province goes ahead with the controversial permit.