The use of disposable plastic cups in the catering industry has been prohibited since January 1. That is why bars and discos are switching to cups with a deposit that are returned to the tap after use. For many people, a 1 euro deposit would be enough reason not to slam an empty cup on the ground. But in Breda they take a slightly different approach to exchanging items during carnival. As a result, Kielegat is in danger of drowning in the plastic soup.
When you go out this carnival, you may still encounter the well-known plastic cups. Catering companies can choose whether they use hard cups or soft cups. Hard cups are rinsed and reused. Soft cups must be collected separately and ultimately taken to a company that recycles them.
“Where once there were 25,000 cups on the floor, there were now only 3,000.”
In Breda, which is renamed Kielegat during carnival, soft cups were chosen because they are more practical. When you get your first drink, you pay 1 euro extra for the cup. If you bring an empty cup back to the bar, you do not have to pay again for a fresh cup. During carnival you receive a coin at the end of the evening that entitles you to a new cup the next day. But anyone who hands in their very last cup and no longer wants a drink will not get any money back.
Johan de Vos, chairman of the Royal Horeca Association in Breda, calls it an ‘environmental contribution’ that covers the costs of the barter system. But without a deposit at the end of the journey, there is a good chance that the cups will still end up on the ground.
They also noticed this at the dance party BLSSD, which took place last weekend on the Noordkade in Veghel. At the entrance, people received a so-called eco coin that could be exchanged for a cup. When ordering a new drink, the old cup had to be returned. Otherwise it would cost half a coin extra. As a result, the floor was spotless during the evening. “Where there were normally 25,000 cups on the ground, there were now 3,000,” says organizer Cas van den Elsen. “The last cups were still left behind.”
“It must become normal to hand in those cups. We must do that together.”
In Den Bosch they use hard cups. There you also pay one euro for a cup, but you get that money back after handing it in. Last year at carnival those cups were also used and they were very popular. “About 80 percent of the cups were returned,” says Bernhard Kuenen, chairman of the catering industry in Den Bosch. “And we also benefit from ‘cup collectors’, who scour the streets for cups to earn some extra money.”
However, those hard cups take up space and need to be rinsed. Moreover, they should be placed in a safe place behind the bar, because added up they are worth money. That’s why they opted for the soft cups in Breda.
But paying a deposit on this is too risky, according to Johan De Vos. “You can also buy those cups in large quantities in the store. If you were to hand in a whole stock of them at the end of Carnival, you could make some serious money,” he says. De Vos does not think that many people would abuse it, but believes that it should be self-evident to hand in your cup even without a deposit. “When you walk in the forest, you don’t just throw your waste on the ground. It also has to do with decency. It must become normal to hand in those cups. We must do that together.”
