It is estimated that in the US alone, we use over 50 billion coffee cups each year.īoth the production and disposal of cups have their negative impacts on our environment, contributing to global warming, pollution, and much more. We are producing and throwing away billions of disposable cups per year. If you’re not 100% clear on why disposable cups are such a big problem, this post will help you understand what the issue is and why it’s important to understand it. It’s a growing environmental problem that deserves attention. Our love for coffee and other takeaway foods supports an enormous consumption of disposable cups around the world (billions every year). Customers have accepted the fact that they have to pay extra for plastic carrier bags, and they do not blame business owners.WHAT ARE DISPOSABLE CUPS AND WHY ARE THEY SUCH A BIG PROBLEM? ![]() Research (in Dutch) conducted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management shows that entrepreneurs and customers have become more aware of the drawbacks of using plastic. The number of plastic bags found in street litter has reduced by 70% since then. Think of the ban on plastic carrier bags, that has been in place since 2016. Previous plastic waste-reducing measures have proven successful. ![]() Read more (in Dutch) about the alternatives to plastic disposables, and find out which option suits your company best. "Explain the new system to the users carefully." And note: whichever option you go for, your customers are always entitled to a reusable alternative, such as a cup or food container they have brought themselves. "Some options require a change in behaviour, for you and your employees and your customers", says Van Daele. "And use a carton of milk, or sugar lumps, instead of portion-sized packs of sugar, milk, or sweeteners", Van Daele adds. You can replace plastics used for eating at the premises by ceramics, for example. Such as cardboard cups with a sugar cane or corn starch coating. Offer disposables that are free of plastics.Encourage your customers to bring their own packaging.You have to list them on the sales receipt separately.Īre you ready to stop using plastic disposables? There is a number of available alternatives: That means you cannot calculate them into your product price. The packaging fee you charge has to be transparent. The Dutch government has issued a guideline: 25 cents for a cup, 50 cents for a food container, and 5 cents for pre-packaged vegetables, fruit, nuts, and portion-sized packs, for instance for sugar or salt. If you want to continue using plastic single-use containers or cups, you need to charge your customer a separate fee. "Setting up a system for waste separation takes a lot of work, and there are only a few types of packaging available that are fit for high-grade recycling." "That is quite a challenge, especially for small businesses", says Emmy van Daele, campaign coordinator at Mission Reuse (in Dutch), an initiative to promote reusable alternatives to disposable plastics. And in that case you need to collect 75 to 90% of all packaging materials yourself, for high-grade recycling. You may continue to use plastic single-use cups and containers, but only if you really need to. This includes company restaurants, the office, snackbars, and festivals. And that is not allowed anymore either.įrom January 2024, you are not allowed to use plastic single-use cups or containers for serving customers who want to consume your drinks or food on the premises. Do you use cardboard cups or containers? Check with your supplier if there is no plastic layer on the inside - there often is. That means coffee to go, but also take-out or delivery meals. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management estimates a decrease in the use of disposable plastics by forty per cent.Īs of July 2023, you can no longer give your customers plastic single-use cups or food containers for free. To combat pollution and to stop the plastic soup from growing even bigger, a law banning free plastic single-use cups and containers is being introduced. Just in the Netherlands, we throw away 19 million single-use plastic cups and containers a day, according to Dutch government sources. Do you normally offer waiting customers a cup of coffee in a plastic cup? You too will have to find alternatives (in Dutch). The new rules apply to hospitality businesses, company restaurants, events booths and stalls holders, and coffee corner sales outlets. Read what these rules mean for your business. As of 2024, you are no longer allowed to use single-use plastics for eating in. And you need to offer a reusable alternative. ![]() Do you sell take-out meals or coffee to go? Starting July 2023, you can no longer give your customers free single-use plastic cups or containers.
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