The Dutch government has two dates: 1 July 2023 and 1 January 2024. The first applies to food or drinks that you take with you (to go). The second date applies to food or drinks to stay, for a coffee, tea or other drink that you consume on location. To prevent confusion, all changes at UM will take place on 1 July, said Rabbe Dormans, advisor for environmental and sustainability issues in one of the University Council’s committee meetings, last Wednesday.
Eurest Campus, catering company in among others the student cafeteria, will switch to the Billie cup. This is a returnable mug with a 1-euro deposit. The catering company or coffee bar will wash them in the dishwasher and reuse them. Lids also cost 1 euro and are non-returnable for hygienic reasons, said Dormans. The Billie cup can be used for the coffee machines too, but bringing your mug from home is also possible, as is an earthenware one from the department (many UM locations have small kitchens and a dishwasher).
‘Plastic-free’ cups, like they produce in Germany, will not be used in the Netherlands. “The government interprets the EU guidelines differently, and hence the cups are not recognised as being ‘plastic-free’.” It appears that they do contain a polymer, to prevent them from leaking. Bandito Espresso, the operator on the Oxfordlaan and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, had set its sights on just such a ‘plastic-free’ cup, but as this is not accepted, Bandito is now looking at other solutions.
UM now needs to bring the change to everyone’s attention as quickly as possible, “because it will be 1 July, before you know it,” says Dormans. “We need to think about how we are going to deal with this at large events, such as open days. There is also the question whether there are sufficient ‘facilities’ for students. Many employees have access to a small kitchen, but students don’t.”
This week, Dormans informed Observant that there will be a transitional period until 1 January, during which the disposable cups can be used in case of an ‘emergency’ and will be available in a central location in the buildings, such as the reception desk.