Where do you drink your coffee from? Inspectors hunt for plastic in offices

• Merel Stikkelorum

  Domestic editor

Inspectors began investigating the use of disposable cups in offices this month. From January 1, in principle these are no longer allowed near coffee machines. First impressions are largely positive, although it is evident that some large companies still use disposable cups.

Plastic packaging such as bags, containers and even ‘paper’ coffee cups, which are always covered in plastic to make them waterproof, often end up on the street as litter. The Dutch are big consumers of this type of packaging: every day we throw away 19 million plastic cups and containers and 4.5 million plastic bottles. In two years, the use of single-use plastics must be reduced by 40 percent compared to 2022.

After introducing measures to encourage the re-use of packaging for food collection and delivery, this year it is the turn of the ‘closed environments’. This includes festivals, sports clubs, educational institutions and offices. Reusable cups are now mandatory unless strict conditions are met.

Following the inspections at last summer’s festivals, Human Environment and Transport Inspectors (ILT) are now visiting offices. Inspector Gert van Rootselaar has been “very surprised” so far. Not only about the quality of the coffee in many offices (“which makes them jealous”), but also about how the rules are implemented.

“A large number of the companies we have visited so far have changed to reuse sometime last year,” says Van Rootselaar. “A lot of companies have turned it into something fun. For example, I came to an office where every employee got an extra 15 euros at Christmas time to buy a mug. The person who came back with the best cup got a prize.”

The small and medium-sized companies that he and his colleagues have visited so far have opted for glass and ceramic cups. “We see all kinds of things: personalized ones, but also companies that have bought the tableware section of IKEA. ” A large company called it opted for hard plastic cups, which are collected and washed by the coffee supplier.

The transition to reuse is generally smooth. “It hasn’t been a problem anywhere.” However, he often sees waste at coffee points. “There is a piece of A4 paper with the request to put dirty mugs in the dishwasher.”

To Van Rootselaar’s disappointment, investigations revealed that two “major companies”, with locations where hundreds of people work, still had not got their affairs in order. “I think that’s a shame.”

The inspector says that the rules were announced at the beginning of 2022. “Then I think: you have had more than a year and a half to change to reuse and you have the resources for it. Why don’t you do it?”

At one of the companies he had to wait a long time at the reception until he was picked up. “You saw the frightened faces. Then you already felt: I don’t think they are doing a good job here.” During the visit with the head of supply, he received a “very coincidental” message on his phone. “‘Ah,’ he said, ‘I just saw that the disposable cups are being phased out before the holidays.’ I will visit again in January to see if it is really organized.

Van Rootselaar and his colleagues leave an “old fashioned pre-printed paper warning” at companies that break the rules. If everything is still not in order during a second inspection, fines may follow.

How does he choose the offices he enters? “Sometimes we get advice from staff. But otherwise it’s completely random.”