The Municipality of The Hague is investing €100,000 in the European project AccessHubs, an initiative designed to make borrowing and renting everyday items more accessible. The project encourages residents to share and rent products rather than own them, helping to reduce waste and support a more circular economy.
Building towards a more sustainable future
The investment aligns with the city’s broader circular economy goals, which focus on extending the lifespan of products, preventing waste, and reducing the need for new raw materials. Funding for the project comes from the municipality’s Co-financing Fund, which helps attract additional European funding for innovative initiatives. In total, The Hague will receive more than €270,000 in EU support to strengthen local sharing and rental systems. By joining this international collaboration, The Hague aims to reduce material waste while offering affordable alternatives for residents, including those with limited financial resources.
"We throw away 200 million kilos of stuff every year, and that's a waste. With AccessHubs, we're taking a concrete step toward a city where sharing and reuse become a given. That's good for the environment and for our residents' wallets. Thanks to European collaboration, we can work faster and smarter towards a circular future for The Hague."
The AccessHubs project builds on work the municipality is already doing to support circularity. The Hague has set the goal of becoming 50% circular by 2030 and is actively promoting reuse, supporting circular entrepreneurs, improving waste separation, and recovering valuable materials.
Looking ahead
The municipality expects the first lending desks to be developed in neighbourhoods where access to everyday items can make the greatest difference. These include areas such as Laak, Transvaal, Segbroek and Loosduinen, subject to consultation with local partners. The focus will be on lending practical items with high social value, particularly electronics and household appliances such as phone chargers, hairdryers and kitchen equipment.
The lending desks will be physically embedded in places residents already visit and trust, including local shops, DHL collection points, telecom stores, neighbourhood supermarkets and community spaces such as community centres, churches and mosques. While a digital application will be developed to request items, the physical presence of the hubs is essential to reach residents facing financial hardship, limited digital access or literacy challenges, and to lower feelings of shame. By combining accessible locations with personal contact, The Hague aims to make sharing a normal, dignified and inclusive part of daily life.
Successful local projects
At the end of last year, the municipality opened the Hague Circular Craft Center, where new products such as bags, candles, notebooks, and refurbished bicycles are made from waste materials. The center also runs the Spullenbak project, which recovers valuable materials from household waste for reuse. Together, these initiatives help reduce CO₂ emissions, preserve scarce resources, and create new local economic opportunities.
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