You’ll now be charged extra for that plastic packaging at your fave Dutch stores

Looks like it’s time to start carrying your reusable coffee cup and lunchbox with you when you grab your food to-go.

From July 1, people will be charged extra for buying food and drinks sold in plastic packaging. 

READ MORE | Here’s why you’ll soon need to pay extra for that plastic to-go cup in the Netherlands

This new rule aims to encourage people to use reusable containers but helaas. According to NU.nl, this might not go as planned, as many establishments tell them they find it difficult to implement.

Supermarkets feel the struggle

Supermarket chains, Jumbo and PLUS, have announced that they are still looking for ways to implement the new rules. “We encourage customers to reuse where possible,” a spokesperson for Albert Heijn tells NU.nl. “But it must be practically feasible for the customer.”

Ja ja, we’re sure they also want to ensure that customers don’t put that croissant in their lunchbox and act as if they got it elsewhere.

READ MORE | Major Dutch supermarkets are scrapping paper and plastic bags for their fruits and veggies

So, instead, we’ll have to pay more instead. You can expect a surcharge of between €0.05 and €0.50 on products in plastic packaging. For penny pinchers, every cent counts, so we don’t imagine that going down well. 

The milkshake brings all the reusable cups to the yard?

Anyone who gets their milkshakes or soft drinks poured into a disposable cup at McDonald’s will have to pay an extra 25 cents or €1 for a deposit cup. Well, that’s okay, right? You could just bring your own cup — wrong!

“We will not accept that from a hygiene point of view, and given the large numbers of visitors we have, that is not possible,” a spokesman for McDonald’s fast food chain tells NU.nl.

It won’t only be costing the customers more, however. Fast food chains like McDonald’s will experience extra costs with the use of deposit cups. “…which requires much more plastic than what is left in the regular cup. Moreover, they have to be washed, which costs water and energy.”

Who wants to carry their Tupperware collection around with them?

If you’re getting food and drinks to go, you’re probably doing it for the speed and convenience. Maybe even because you already forgot your lunch sitting on your kitchen counter. 

Through industry club BETA, petrol stations say the new rules were “conceived with the best intentions but are not very practical”. They also think that people would probably rather pay extra for disposable packaging than deal with the inconvenience of bringing their own cups and containers. 

Snack bar owners agree with this. “Fries are an impulse purchase. People don’t walk around with their own trays in their bags,” director Frans van Rooij of the trade association ProFri, tells NU.nl. And if you’re someone who happened to have a plate for some frietjes, what do you do with your dirty plate when you’re done? 👀  

“We support every measure to prevent environmental damage, but this defeats the purpose,” says van Rooij. Guess, this means most snackers are going to pay extra for disposable containers. 

Will you be carrying your own containers or paying extra for disposable containers? Tell us your preference in the comments!