Wendy Nooitgedacht
Wendy Nooitgedacht was born and raised in IJmuiden.
Her husband works at Tata Steel.
She grew up with the factory on the horizon.
“As a child, I thought it was beautiful,” she says. “We used to call it the Paris of IJmuiden. When we came back from holidays in the evening and saw that sea of lights, we knew: we’re home.”
The smile that accompanies the memory fades quickly.
“Now I look at it differently. You get older, more aware. Then you start asking yourself what it really brings. It’s not only good — there’s a downside as well.”
Her husband has worked as a driver on the site for fifteen years.
“It’s dirty work,” she says, “but also beautiful. He drives between those massive installations, day in, day out. A lot has changed. The rules have become stricter, monitoring has improved.
Still, it remains a world of its own.”
She understands why people remain loyal to the company.
“If your grandfather worked there too, if your family depends on it, it’s not just a job. It becomes part of who you are. So when someone says Tata is bad, it feels like a personal attack.”
That deep connection also creates distance from criticism.
“They’re not bad people.
They just want security and a decent life. But it’s difficult when the outside world only points fingers.”
She herself avoids harsh language.
“That activist shouting — it builds walls. I believe more in quieter conversations. Sitting at a table, really listening to each other. That convinces me more than a leaflet ever could.”
She herself avoids harsh language.
“That activist shouting — it builds walls. I believe more in quieter conversations. Sitting at a table, really listening to each other.
That convinces me more than a leaflet ever could.”
She has heard little about the plans for green steel.
“It’s not in my algorithm,” she says with a brief laugh. “I actually have to look for it. And that’s a shame. A company this big should communicate much better about what it plans to do — not just what it costs, but also what it brings. Then people understand, or at least start asking questions. Then it becomes part of daily life.”
When she speaks about pollution, her concern is more subdued.
“We have a favourable wind direction here, so it’s less noticeable. In Wijk aan Zee, they experience more of it. That pollution is something gradual. You don’t notice it from day to day. And precisely because of that, we all act as if it’s not so bad.
That might be the worst part.”
When the conversation turns to the future, her focus shifts to the people around her.
“Most people here aren’t thinking about politics or policy,” she says. “They’re just trying to get by. And in the meantime, others decide what’s good for them.”
She feels that residents themselves are not listened to enough — the people who live between factory and dunes.
“If you don’t include people, you talk about them, not with them.”
“One person wants work, another wants clean air. But in the end, we all live under the same sky.”