Global Recycling Day is on Saturday 18 March
Nomination for the Recycling Heroes 2023 award
The Dutch Waste Management Association (DWMA) supports the Global Recycling Foundation (GRF) in its mission to combat climate change and expedite the transition to the circular economy. The 6th Global Recycling Day will be held on Saturday 18 March. The winner of the Recycling Heroes 2023 award will be announced on Monday 20 March.
One of the possible nominations for Recycling Heroes 2023 is the Green Deal on coffee pads and teabags. This is an initiative by the industry association Koffie & Thee Nederland, which worked with companies in the coffee and tea sector, national government and the DWMA, for the separate collection and treatment of coffee pads and teabags – along with coffee filters – in the food and garden waste stream. This was achieved on 1 January 2023. The separate collection of coffee pads and tea bags in food and garden waste in the Netherlands will generate about 88 million kilograms of additional compost each year.
Recycling will cut carbon emissions by a billion tonnes
The Global Recycling Federation was established in October 2018 to promote and encourage recycling worldwide. The recycling and reuse of waste materials is crucial for the transition to the circular economy. Recycling can cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than a billion tonnes by 2030. The Dutch waste and recycling associations support the GRF because they are keen to contribute towards the worldwide transition from landfill to recycling. At the moment most recyclable wastes in the world are dumped or landfilled, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of tonnes of raw materials that could otherwise be recycled.
A radical change is needed
Unico van Kooten, the DWMA’s policy adviser for European affairs: ‘The world is going through difficult political and economic times. The consequences of global warming and raw materials scarcity are clear to see throughout the world. A radical change is needed and recycling can help on both fronts. Everyone has an important part to play in increasing recycling and the transition to the circular economy. The Recycling Heroes award ties in well with this mission and can have a positive effect on the environment and improve the overall resilience of society.’
Transition to a circular and sustainable economy
In supporting the GRF, the Dutch recycling sector underlines the ambition of the United Nations, the World Resources Institute and the European Union to speed up the transition to a circular and sustainable economy.