Dirk Groot, alias the tramp finator from Purmerend, is fighting against drinks carton. After successful campaigns against plastic candy wrappers, fireworks remains, water balloons and drink bottles, he wants to ban the drinks carton as litter. “If you ask for a deposit, the problem will almost solve itself. Beverage carton is also bad for the environment because it contains plastic and aluminum.”
Since February last year, a deposit has been levied on plastic bottles, which has major positive consequences for litter. “It has decreased by 76 percent on the street and in nature,” says Dirk, who goes out almost daily to pick up and register litter.
He asks others to do the same. He uses figures and photos to show how big the problem is. With that information, he goes to politicians and manufacturers to convince them. And it works: soon there will also be a deposit on cans. Dirk fights together with Merijn Tinga, the plastic soup surfer from Leiden.
More drinks carton
Due to the deposit on plastic bottles, many manufacturers have switched to the drinks carton, according to Dirk. He shows some soda and water brands that previously had no cardboard packaging. “And I now find all that on the street and we want to do something about that.” Dirk and Merijn want their project #Pakzooi to have a deposit on cardboard packaging. “I would prefer not to see them at all, but this is already a big step.”
If you want to support Dirk and Merijn’s campaign with as much data as possible, you can do so by downloading a free app. With ‘Plastic Avengers’ you can easily take and send a photo.