During the upcoming edition of Thursday Meppel Day (DMD), the visitor pays an environmental contribution with consumptions. If you always use the same plastic cup, the contribution remains one-off.
The city event DMD is held on the five Thursdays from July 27 to August 24. Every Thursday has a different theme. The dates fall after the tightening of government rules when it comes to plastic disposable waste. “We understand those regulations,” said Harrie Harskamp, who took over the gavel from Anneke Neef this summer.
The change in short: whoever orders a drink during DMD pays half a coin (value between 1.50 and 1.75 euros) more than the cost of the drink the first time. In exchange for that ‘environmental contribution’, he or she receives a hard cup, a cup made of hard plastic. It can always be exchanged. “It is not a deposit, but a contribution,” explains Harskamp. “So you don’t get that half coin back.”
Coins instead of cash
The second change is already in place: DMD will now work with coins instead of cash. “At the request of, among others, the catering industry,” says Harskamp, who expects that queues at the cash registers will be shorter due to consumption coins.
Due to the introduction of the environmental contribution and the hard cups, Harskamp expects a lot less waste than before. “I assume that the visitors do their duty and do not just throw away their cups. This is also the experience of our experts at other festivals. I myself was at Friends of Amstel Live and I did not see a plastic cup lying on the floor. Quite special if you consider: that you drink a beer in the middle of the city and just throw it away. However?”
3.50 for beer? Ridiculous!
A consumption coin during DMD costs 3.50 euros. That is the price of a beer at the same time. Harskamp: “I can already see the criticism coming: 3 euros 50? Ridiculous prices! But remember, you’re at a free event. It can also be done differently. We could also ask for an entrance fee of ten euros, but that immediately entails other difficulties. For now, we prefer to keep DMD free.”
Harskamp hopes that visitors to the event will also understand the new environmental rules during DMD. “Before you criticize, remember that fifteen volunteers spend hours and hours organizing an expensive event, with bands, security, stages, light, sound, first aid, everything on it. And that you can enjoy the party for free, for free.”