How do our colleagues experience the Week Without Waste? Do they find it difficult to get through the week waste-free or is it easy? Every day we ask some of our colleagues about their experiences. Today it was the turn of Berend, Circular Economy Officer at Milgro.
What are the biggest challenges you face during this week without waste?
One of the biggest challenges is minimizing my food shopping. Sometimes oversized portions of food are packed, which creates excess packaging material. I try to carry as little packaging material as possible, which means I sometimes have to buy larger quantities. Unfortunately, these larger quantities often have a shorter shelf life because of clunky packaging that doesn't seal properly. To avoid throwing away vegetables, I make sure I eat everything. For example, if there is lettuce left over after my evening meal, I eat it on bread the next day. This way I don't have to throw anything away. If I really can't eat something, I sometimes give it to my dog, who also eats vegetables.
Wat doe je om afval te verminderen en wat is het meest effectief?
I make sure my lunch is waste-free. Since I eat lunch every day, it makes sense to avoid producing waste. I bring my own lunch box and already prepare my lunch at home. I also use a stone cup to drink from, as I find it more comfortable than a cardboard cup. Even when I work part of the day at a different location, I drink from a stone cup in both places. The cups we have at the office are often too big for a cup of coffee. So immediately a tip for Milgro: ''Put smaller coffee cups everywhere, that drinks even better.''
Have you told others about the week without waste? And anything else you'd like to pass on to them?
I told some of our clients about it. They liked it and were very curious about the insights. The week is now almost over, but it doesn't end there. My tip to everyone is to think about what you take away from this week to do something different structurally.
What else do you think we need to do to achieve a waste-free world?
I think it is important to make the choice of packaged products more difficult and expensive than waste-free alternatives. If it becomes easier and cheaper to choose a waste-free option, more people will do so.
Where are your habits that cause waste? Do you dare to break this one? Sign up #zerowastechallenge
Do you have tips or ideas for preventing waste streams?
We would love to hear what you are doing to reduce food waste or avoid packaging waste, for example. We will include your suggestions in our next blogs, where we discuss solutions for various waste streams.Let get in touch
