Rotterdam's bin-lorry poems granted heritage status
Rotterdam's practice of printing poetry on its waste trucks has been formally recognised as intangible cultural heritage in the Netherlands. The listing, granted this week by the Dutch body that guards national traditions, covers verse carried on all of the city's waste vehicles. The Guardian
The tradition was added to the Dutch Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage on October 13, 2026, according to Poetry International, the organisation behind the project. Poetry International The municipality marked the listing with a celebration and the unveiling of its latest poetic lorries on Tuesday.
The project began in 1988 from an idea originating with Poetry International. Since then, hundreds of poetic lines have been carried on Rotterdam's trucks.
The original proposal came from artist Hans Abelman. He presented the idea to Stichting Poetry International in Rotterdam and to Roteb, the Rotterdam waste company. The artists' collective Het Rotterdams Kunstgesticht was then asked to develop it further. Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage
Roteb provided 12 new garbage trucks for the project, each pasted with its own poetic line. City poet Jules Deelder wrote the first line, 'Het gedicht is een bericht', which gave the project its title. That line is the only one that still returns annually on one of the trucks.
Stichting Poetry International selects the poems. At first, the lines mainly came from poets appearing at the annual Poetry International Festival in June in Rotterdam. There is now an annual competition for lines open to all Rotterdam residents.
In 2023, 13-year-old Leah Nölling won the schoolchildren's competition with the line 'Dat we er niet over praten, betekent niet dat het niet gebeurde'.
Joan Nunnely is Rotterdam's deputy mayor for culture, community and language. The Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage lists 'Gedichten op de vuilniswagens in Rotterdam' among its intangible heritage entries.
