By Isabelle Gerretsen
AMSTERDAM, Sept 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When Magdalena was clearing out her home in Amsterdam, she took her old clothes and other household waste to a recycling hub, knowing it would be worth her while.
The Zero Waste Lab in the east of the Dutch city gave her discount tokens for local shops and market stalls in exchange for two bags of fabric, paper and plastic.
“It’s great. You are rewarded for saving the planet,” said Magdalena, who did not want to give her full name.
Zero Waste Lab is one of several new initiatives in Dutch cities aiming to highlight the scourge of urban waste by turning trash into something useful or artistic.
Magdalena’s jeans were sent to Firma Koos, a local social enterprise that hires people struggling to find work and upcycles denim to make cushions and bags.
Her electronic cables, fabric and plastic bottles were destined for children’s arts and crafts workshops.
“We need to reward people, and we need the rewards to come back into the local community,” lab manager Bonnie Joosten told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Since it started in 2016, 30 local businesses and 1,100 households have joined the project.
Tom Leeflang, who owns a pancake stall nearby, said the scheme works well because it is not compulsory. “If it’s voluntary, people are much more likely to participate,” he said.
