PLASTIC-FREE TERRACE ZANDVOORT 2022 Twenty catering entrepreneurs and the municipality of Zandvoort have joined forces to ban single-use plastic from the terraces. In this way they contribute to a clean beach and awareness among visitors. On July 7, some of them signed the declaration to be single-use plastic free, in the presence of councilor Lars Carree (tourism, economy and sustainability) and Plastic Soup Surfer Merijn Tinga. Disposable plastics, such as cookie packaging, milk cups, honey sticks and sauce containers, will now no longer be used on their terraces.

THESE TERRACES ARE PLASTIC-FREE

A total of 14 catering entrepreneurs are already going for one this summer Plastic-free Terrace. This concerns the beach pavilions: Fosfor, Paal 69, NIUS Beachhouse, Ohana Beach, Laguna Beach, De Haven, Cosmico Beach, The Spot, Bernies Beachclub and Rapa Nui.

Watersports association Zandvoort, surfing school Pepsports, stand holder De Zeemeermin and ice cream parlor Luciano Zandvoort also join this. In addition, there are 6 entrepreneurs who are on their way to a Plastic-free Terrace. These are Bodhi Beach, De Haven, Noosa Beach, Mango's Beachbar, Kaito Beach and the Beachhouse Hotel, which also has a seaside terrace.

SIGN OF JUTTERSLUCK

The 13 entrepreneurs with a plastic-free terrace can be recognized by the sign 'Plastic-free Terrace', made by Juttersgeluk from beached plastic from the Zandvoort beach.

EUROPEAN LEGISLATION

In the coming years, more and more plastic packaging will fall under the European SUP directive. For example, plastic straws, cutlery and plastic disposable coffee cups have been banned since 2021, and from 2023 catering establishments will have to charge money for disposable packaging and be obliged to offer reusable alternatives. By not using single-use plastic on their terrace at all, these Zandvoort entrepreneurs are going one step further than the guideline prescribes. The municipality of Zandvoort will help entrepreneurs further in this regard. This is done, among other things, by organizing meetings to inform them about the new legislation, as has now been done with the Plastic Free Terrace Zandvoort project.

EXTRA ATTENTION TO DISPOSABLE CUPS was also during the press moment Plastic Soup Surfer Merijn Tinga present to draw attention to the 5.5 million take-away coffee cups that are used and thrown away every day in the Netherlands. He visits Zandvoort on his Mission Reuse in which he surfs from Brussels to Amsterdam on a board made of disposable cups. As an alternative, Merijn promotes the switch to reusable stationary cups, such as the WeCup. After the success in Haarlem, 4 catering establishments in Zandvoort have now also embraced the WeCup deposit cup: The Spot, Le Bar, Luciano Zandvoort and Laguna Beach. The municipality of Zandvoort encourages this by paying the subscription costs for entrepreneurs in the first year.  

Due to the crowds at the beach pavilions, not everyone could attend the press moment. That's why I visited everyone later to bring the signs and certificates, like the one below at NIUS Beachhouse.

WANT TO KNOW MORE OR JOIN?

In the autumn, another meeting will be organized together with the municipality of Zandvoort, We Are Nature and The Shore about Plastic-free Terrace Zandvoort: what it entails, how you can get involved, what alternatives there are and what legislation is still to come. Knowledge and experience in this area are also shared so that everyone can start the 2023 season well prepared and plastic-free.

Are you a catering entrepreneur in Zandvoort and would you like to be present? Then send me an email via [email protected]. Then you will be kept informed.

I am involved in this project from Liefs from Zandvoort as a local partner and project manager.

LOVE FROM ZANDVOORT, X KRISTEL