Former system operator Rauno Raal on the introduction of a bottle and can deposit system in Estonia in 2005

Deposit return systems have been introduced in more than 40 states and countries all over the world. What can we learn from politicians, NGO's and system operators that implemented those systems in their countries?




Part of the Oslo-London-Paris DRS windsurfing Campaign
www.plasticsoupsurfer.org


Goals of the campaign:

Promote deposit return systems at the political level by conveying the ‘lessons learned’ from former ministers that where responsible for the introduction of deposit systems in the countries along the route.

Plastic pollution awareness and showcasing innovation in eco-friendly materials.

Connect, involve and inspire coastal cleanup communities along the route via our ‘focus on the source’ campaigning style and our judicial instruments.



Literally handing over their messages in a bottle to the politician responsible when arriving in Westminster July 18th 2023 and Paris July 2024


Merijn Tinga (Plastic Soup Surfer)

Merijn Tinga aka the Plastic Soup Surfer is known for his extraordinary and impactful campaigns around plastic pollution, focused on policymakers and company ceo’s.

The Plastic Soup Surfer forced the political breakthrough on bottle deposits in the Netherlands in 2017 with a self-written resolution. An accompanying petition was signed by 60thousand people and was kickstarted by kitesurfing across the North Sea on a surfboard made from small plastic bottles.

Using a bailiff and a judicial instrument he confronted Coca Cola, Heineken, Pepsico, Spa and Dutch supermarket CEO’s with the plastic bottles he had found in the river Rhine after having paddled it from Source to Sea (1000km).

Timmermans & Manifest
For the Dutch community of plastic activists and NGO’s he organized a national conference on the future of plastics (2019). The resulting ‘Plastic Avengers Manifest’ states 5 principles to a ‘sustainable use of plastics’. VP Frans Timmermans became the ambassador and was handed the manifest personally by the Plastic Avengers Community in Leiden (the home town of the Plastic Soup Surfer).

Company change
With the community of litter-pickers he launched several campaigns using monitoring-apps.
In collaboration with the litter-pickers community he had a sweets-company change their wrappers to wax-paper after they were confronted with 16thousand photographs of ‘their’ littered sweets wrappers. Last winter the entire Dutch retail stopped the sale of ‘fireworks with integrated plastics’, after 60thousand photographs were made of the plastic pieces left behind in the streets and parks.

Vision
The Plastic Soup Surfer views plastic as the catalyst to ‘throw-away society’. A transition in the way we appreciate plastics, the designs and intended behavior is needed to fundamentally change plastic pollution. Efforts in recycling or cleaning-up divert the attention and slow down much needed measures promoting reuse and reduction.

Plastic Soup Surfer is part of several International committees and groups (EU Break Free From Plastic coalition, Dutch SUP implementation committee, Dutch plastic fibres committee)

Merijn Tinga is a trained biologist and passionate surfer.
More info: PlasticSoupSurfer.org

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