trash Archives - Refill Ambassadors

7th November 20247th November 2024

DEPOSIT SYSTEM IS FAILING

The deposit system is not working properly. One and a half year ago, we happily announced the introduction of a 15 cent deposit on all cans and plastic bottles in the Netherlands (in Dutch: statiegeld). The deposit was supposed to improve waste separation and to decrease trash. But in reality we face new problems. What is happening?

GOOD INTENTIONS, BAD RESULTS

Research on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management showed that a deposit system can reduce the amount of litter by as much as 70 to 90 percent. Moreover, returning your cans or bottles to a vending machine contributes to achieving recycling targets.

Unfortunately, we seem to face more trash these days. Is the deposit system failing? We conclude:

Only 50% of all cans are returned to a collection point (source)
Waste bins in public spaces are ripped apart as people desperately search for cans and bottles, causing a lot of nuisance.
There is an insuffient number of collection points. A point of sale is not automatically a drop-off point.
The collection points’ machines are often out of order.
The barcode must be easily scannable, impossible with dented cans.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Several national consumer campaigns have been launched, showing that consumers can also get their deposit back at petrol stations, for example. Some municipalities have now equipped waste bins with special holders where people can leave their deposit packaging. A nice gesture, but will it be sufficient?

CONTINUE OR ABANDON THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM?

Do you have a suggestion how to tackle this problem? Do you want to continue or abandon the deposit system in the Netherlands? How is this organised in your country? We would love to hear your thoughts.

19th July 20205th September 2021

PLOGGING: RUNNING & STRETCHING FOR A CAUSE

I have a new hobby: plogging. This means running while picking up litter. The word plogging is derived from ‘placka’ (to pick in Swedish) and jogging. We all want clean parks, streets and forests. What if we collect not just our own trash, but also our neighbours’? Be prepared, plogging is addictive!

In a few months I hope to run my first marathon. Therefore I try to run three times a week. To make it more challenging I started to pick up trash along the way. It felt a bit weird in the beginning, but now it’s part of the drill. Tiny plastic candy wraps, cans, cigarette boxes and of course many empty plastic bottles. I invite you all to give it a try. Running for a cause while sweating a bit more! When I don’t feel like running (quite often!) I walk while picking up trash. So for those who are not into running, try trashwalking instead. Tip: bring your own bin bag in areas with fewer trash cans.

GLOBAL CLEANUP INITIATIVES

Do you want to participate in a group? Try one of these initiatives:

World Cleanup Day – coming up on Saturday September 19, 2020 (worldwide event). Its goal is to raise awareness of the global waste problem and help in finding sustainable solutions to the global trash problem.

Trashpackers brings tourists in touch with local communities to gather litter. Last year, 10.924 people joined the challenge. Anyone can create a new Trashpacker Event.

Many countries organise their own beach cleanup tours, although some events are cancelled this year because of Covid-19.

Both World Cleanup Day and Trashpackers aim to better understand the scale of the global waste problem by visualising the data collected. So when you join, please help the organisation by using their app to register the collected waste.

JOIN US ON WORLD CLEANUP DAY

Do you want to join the Refill Ambassador cleaning team in Amsterdam on World Cleanup Day? When: Saturday, September 19, 2020. Please send us a message.

15th August 201811th January 2019

REFILL AMBASSADORS X WORLD CLEANUP DAY

World Cleanup Day is coming… In exactly one month, millions of volunteers will come together to clean up litter and waste from cities, beaches, rivers and forests.

STARTING BOTTOM-UP

The idea for World Cleanup Day started ten years ago in Estonia, when thousands of people cleaned the entire country of illegally dumped waste within in a few hours. Other countries got inspired to start a similar ‘one country, one day’ formula. The movement has grown and nowadays unites people from all over the planet. Besides the cleaning of trash, awareness is raised on the problem.

World Cleanup Day Movement is a big network of local cleanup teams. Within the Netherlands, the movement is led by the Plastic Soup Foundation and Nudge.

WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT DAY?

No one likes trash such as plastic packaging scattered on the streets or in nature. This alone would be enough reason to clean, but let’s take a look at the bigger problem. In nature, water bottles can survive up to 450 years. When not disposed properly, large particles fragment into microplastics (<5mm), causing serious harm to marine environments. Currently 95% of plastic packaging worldwide is lost (burned or dumped) after single use. Plastics in the oceans are expected to treble in the next 10 years. So we’d better pick it from the land before it reaches our rivers and seas.

JOIN

Refill Ambassadors will take part in this initiative. Want to join our cleaning team in Amsterdam on September 15th? Send us a message. It will be fun!