Dutch turn in 7,650 kg of fireworks in first nationwide drop-off campaign

Police officers in the Netherlands look out at a group of people on the street as fireworks explode over their head just after midnight on New Year's Day. - Credit: - License: All Rights Reserved 1-1-2 Saturday, 10 October 2026 - 13:05

People brought in about 7,650 kilograms of fireworks during the first nationwide campaign to turn them in. The Ministry of Justice and Security announced the figure after the 35th and final drop-off point closed Friday in Hoorn.

The campaign began more than a month ago. Enschede recorded the highest total, with 686.5 kilograms, followed by Leeuwarden, 609 kilograms, and Zwolle, 528 kilograms. Less than 11 kilograms came in in Ternezen. In Venlo, Emmen, Tilburg, Maastricht, Den Helder, Den Bosch, and Almere, the amount also stayed under 100 kilograms.

Most of the fireworks, more than 6,500 kilograms, consist of consumer fireworks. Those were still permitted to be set off at last New Year’s but are banned for the upcoming New Year’s Eve. People also turned in nearly 600 kilograms of fireworks containing flash powder, such as crackers. More than 500 kilograms of distress signals were also collected.

The amount of voluntarily surrendered fireworks pales in comparison to the quantities seized. Toward the end of the year, customs and police typically intercept more fireworks in a single week. How much remains undetected is unknown.

According to the ministry, the drop-off days were not intended “to collect a certain amount" but to “inform citizens about the fireworks ban” and to give people who still had fireworks “the opportunity to comply with the new rules in a safe and penalty-free manner.” Whether New Year’s Eve will be quieter than in previous years also depends, the ministry said, “on enforcement, the local approach of municipalities, and people’s own behavior.”

Reporting by ANP