In short
- The 14 municipalities in Twente have jointly expressed an ambition to have zero waste by 2030
- The amount of household residual waste per inhabitant in the region has declined drastically from 203 kilos in 2013 to 132 in 2017
Global Goal
In 2013, the 14 municipalities in Twente have jointly expressed an ambition to have zero waste by 2030. Zero waste is quantified as 50 kilos of household residual waste per inhabitant per year, or 90% waste separation. The same goals apply for every municipality, but the means may differ.
In a circular economy, the reusability of products and raw materials is maximised, eliminating the need to destroy products at the end of their life. Proper waste separation is vital since valuable raw materials can be extracted from properly separated waste streams. However, only correctly separating will not do the job. We must also combat wastage to reduce the generated amount of waste in the first place.
“This inspiring evening and all the enthusiastic participants make me confident towards the challenges that the future will bring regarding circular economy”, says the regional manager of “Zero waste Twente”, Richard Kortenhoeven.
Winnie Sorgdrager, chairman of the National Taskforce Recalibration of Waste (Taksforce Herijking Afvalstoffen) kicked off the symposium by asking ‘is waste still waste?’. She explained that the current laws and regulations hinder the circular economy we’re aiming for. The taskforce will, therefore, focus on identifying which laws hinder progress. Around summer time the taskforce will finish a report with recommendations for change.
Sustainability and circular economy are hot topics in the (technical) textile and (corporate) clothing branches, inciting green trends. The rich textile history of Twente laid a strong foundation for recycling textiles, both chemically and mechanically. With it, Twente can move towards a circular economy, according to Ger Brinks and Anton Luiken of Textile Network Texplus. By processing more discarded and collected cotton, more new and sustainable fibres can be created. With these fibres, more new clothing can be made. Recent examples of sustainable (technical) textiles are Jeans on the Wall™ and Textile on the Wall™ by Denimtex from Enschede, Tecawork™ Ecogreen by TenCate Fabrics from Nijverdal and BlueCAMP™-fibers for BlueLOOP Originals from Goor, by TenCate Outdoor Fabrics from Nijverdal.
Plastic Soup Surfer, Merijn Tinga addressed the audience using a vlog, stressing the importance of a deposit on small bottles and cans. He also launched the “Pick-Up 10-up 10” campaign. Watch the video below to find out what this campaign entails. Tinga focuses on awareness creation among residents. If everyone would clean up 10 pieces of litter and register this in the app, together, we can work towards a cleaner environment.
Twente Milieu can provide ‘sharing containers’ upon request, placing them in your neighbourhood. In them, residents can share things such as books, clothing and food. Trashpacker Tijmen Sissing from Hengelo focusses on litter in “backpack countries”. Fully energised, he says “Do not underestimate the power of the individual on society.” He is planning to organise a regional trashpack-campaign in Twente. These and more initiatives contribute to a cleaner environment, less waste, more awareness and, ultimately, a better world.