Zero Waste: halfway

by Hilda Scheenstra · Published September 15, 2019 · Updated January 4, 2023

And so we are already halfway through September and half of our challenge is over! Let’s reflect on how things are going, what we see around us, what we have done already and where improvement is still possible.

Impact

So far we actually like it a lot! We get nice responses, via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instragram and in real life. Many people who really enjoy what we are doing, think along, participate and also become aware of the amount of waste that they produce so easily. In my opinion, this is really Emflower Yourself to Emflower others!

What goes great?

A lot of things are already going well, we are really consciously reducing our waste. We wash ourselves with the soap bars, I order my dairy at the Milk Tap, etc. I estimate that our gray container is filled for 1/3 in 2 weeks. That may still be too much, but I think it’s a great achievement!

And what could be better?

Is everything all right? No, it is not! I needed coconut oil for my homemade deodorant. Upon returning home I realized that it was in a plastic jar ….. While in another store it is simply available in a glass jar. I also entered a kick-of meeting this week where coffee and tea were served, which I had not expected. I did not bring my own cup and before I knew it I had a not entirely paper cup in my hand. Oh no! And also at work: forgetting to take something with me to take my organic waste back home so that I had to sacrifice my recycled (plastic!) Bread bag … And I am still shocked by the amount of plastic that comes with my groceries and where unfortunately I don’t have an alternative at the moment.

Because you handle waste more consciously, you also see what others are doing and not doing. I also notice that with the girls, sometimes to their great frustration. And we still find it quite difficult to talk to people about their waste behavior!

The world is changing

And I do not know if it is because we are working on this Zero Waste Challenge and I notice it earlier or because something is really changing, but I see very nice initiatives in this area.

For example, Douwe Egberts, the coffee supplier at my work, is busy developing entirely paper cups for their coffee machines.

In my municipality they want citizens to be more aware of their waste and therefore propose, among other things, that the gray container be emptied not every 2 weeks, but once every 3 weeks. I like it! My container is not full in any case after 3 weeks.