After plastic bags, disposable plastic containers must also be paid for. This rule goes into effect at the end of next week. So if you get french fries from the snack bar, you can’t get a plastic container for free.

This means paying extra or bringing your own fryer to put your fries in. The government wants to reduce the mountain of plastic waste in this way. Entrepreneur Ria Dekker of BrasseRia & FrieteRia in Dronten actually got rid of plastic containers two years ago. “Here we have sugarcane pulp containers. You can throw in the GFT, because it’s all recycled.”

sustainable business
Sustainable sugarcane containers are more expensive than traditional plastic containers. But Decker thinks the investment is definitely worth it. “We really take that for granted. We think very closely about the environment. We also have solar panels.” Earlier this year, it won an innovation award for a new type of infrared-heated deep fryer that uses 30 percent less energy.

Omroep Flevoland also spoke to a few catering entrepreneurs in Dronten who use disposable plastic containers, like a snack bar and takeaway restaurant. They do not want to respond on camera and say they find the government’s action absurd and impractical. So they refuse to ask their customers for extra money to buy disposable plastic containers from Saturday.