For North America, transitioning to a circular economy would mean having a modern Napoleon in power to dismantle the powers that be shackling the continent to the linear model.
Amsterdam's plan is certainly a step on the right direction. Years earlier the city became recognised as a creative hub of active community initiatives, such as the Repair Cafes. Bottom-up initiaves are flourishing and ahead of the game. However they cannot do the circular transition alone, when businesses and public institutions have a large share of responsibility to contribute, with top-down initiatives. Overall on this side, there is too much talk, not enough walk. For instance, I was visiting friends in Amsterdam in April this year and stayed in their house. I was shocked to learn that the city no longer requests that organic waste is sorted separately from PLASTIC and drink cartons! In 2024, about 4 years since the city implemented the Doughnut Model, the city asks residents to mix organic waste, plastic and drink cartons as residual waste, meaning this is incinerated, right? I live in Gelderland and here organic waste is separated from PMD (Plastic, Metal, Drink Cartons) recyclables. Even though the recycling rates are still low, they are certainly higher than Amsterdam's.
I don't know how it's handled in Amsterdam, but I know that in Leiden they also removed the separation for plastic, because of new machinery at the waste processing plants. I suspect that Amsterdam has something similar. Apparently, these garbage separation machines can now filter out the plastic, and it's much more convenient in maintenance and transport if you collect everything first and separate it after...
@@jeffafa3096 , even if the plastic is separated from the organic waste after collection, at this point is quite contaminated. The lower quality means it cannot be recycled into food packaging or even other types of packaging. It is thus downgraded, and very likely a great part of it end up encinerated for energy recovery. If Amsterdam has a plan to become a circular city, it needs to prioritise higher quality recycling like bottle-to-bottle recycling.
Thumbnail is a little missleading. I thought this was going to be a video about how Amsterdam was created as a circular city. You know, considering the map of old Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, for me to be a bit overcrowded. The problem with overturizm is very visible. To many cars in the center. To many fast bicycle paths. Some other Dutch cities look better.
Unfortunately recycling is less effective than most of us have been let to believe. Companies have promoted this to both move responsibilities from themselves to consumers and also buy time before they actually have to act. This doesn’t mean we should stop with recycling, but it’s only a small part in a bigger story.
great video, much is applicable to other cities in the Netherlands as well, not only to the tourist capital ;) how come your Dutch pronounciation is spot on? and to the point, much of these plans are for rich inhabitants only and create or promote unequality. Sustainability is not affordable for everyone. that is one of the biggest challenges of the programs that cities or other lawmakers are having
Ultra-cheap consumer goods are often built on systems of mass theft and exploitation - both of other poor(er) people and the environment. As companies further optimize these systems, they figure out to how deliver as little of that stolen value to the end consumer as possible and extract more profit. Of course it feels good to buy a new TV for 100 euro or a new tshirt for 2 euro, but that product is almost certainly built with stolen labor (workers paid almost nothing), stolen raw inputs (environmentally destructive, just taken from the producing region), and stolen lifecycle cost (it is designed to break in 2 years and then becomes unprocessable trash that everyone else pays for). The extra costs of ethecially sourced goods don't just magically appear, it's how everyone/everything involved are fairly compensated. By definition a (true) circular economy can't be/isn't just for "rich" people. Buying a cheap pair of shoes produced 10000km away harms (higher quality) local jobs and wealth - the cost of those shoes essentially exits the local economy immediately, and never comes back. Those shoes (usually) don't support a small business. They will never be repaired by a cobbler. They'll wear out in a couple years, then get thrown in the trash. They'll be made from a conconction of dressed up oil-sludge, so there will be nothing to recycle. So yes the person buying the cheap shoes feels immediate benefit, but everyone around them suffers in the long run. It's the same for most "cheap" products - it's a temporary illusion of advancement.
This is certainly a great step forward. I wonder how much hinges on having a 'green' mayor, and the threat of dominant rightwing politics that is in full denial regarding the environment?
What’s those words: hopes to be circulair in 2050, haha These are empty words, hope And it lies far into the future As they still ruining plans for a more localized food system @lutkermeerpolder #voedselparkamsterdam
For North America, transitioning to a circular economy would mean having a modern Napoleon in power to dismantle the powers that be shackling the continent to the linear model.
A new one, nice! Thanks for another high quality vid!
Thanks for sharing
Amsterdam's plan is certainly a step on the right direction. Years earlier the city became recognised as a creative hub of active community initiatives, such as the Repair Cafes. Bottom-up initiaves are flourishing and ahead of the game. However they cannot do the circular transition alone, when businesses and public institutions have a large share of responsibility to contribute, with top-down initiatives. Overall on this side, there is too much talk, not enough walk. For instance, I was visiting friends in Amsterdam in April this year and stayed in their house. I was shocked to learn that the city no longer requests that organic waste is sorted separately from PLASTIC and drink cartons! In 2024, about 4 years since the city implemented the Doughnut Model, the city asks residents to mix organic waste, plastic and drink cartons as residual waste, meaning this is incinerated, right? I live in Gelderland and here organic waste is separated from PMD (Plastic, Metal, Drink Cartons) recyclables. Even though the recycling rates are still low, they are certainly higher than Amsterdam's.
I don't know how it's handled in Amsterdam, but I know that in Leiden they also removed the separation for plastic, because of new machinery at the waste processing plants. I suspect that Amsterdam has something similar. Apparently, these garbage separation machines can now filter out the plastic, and it's much more convenient in maintenance and transport if you collect everything first and separate it after...
@@jeffafa3096 , even if the plastic is separated from the organic waste after collection, at this point is quite contaminated. The lower quality means it cannot be recycled into food packaging or even other types of packaging. It is thus downgraded, and very likely a great part of it end up encinerated for energy recovery. If Amsterdam has a plan to become a circular city, it needs to prioritise higher quality recycling like bottle-to-bottle recycling.
i hope these approaches will be widespread soon
I subt i hope you wil make more videos like this greetings from Bilthoven Prov Utrecht The Netherlands 🇳🇱💪
Thumbnail is a little missleading. I thought this was going to be a video about how Amsterdam was created as a circular city. You know, considering the map of old Amsterdam.
Shared on Mastodon ClimateJustice by JdeB
Amsterdam, for me to be a bit overcrowded. The problem with overturizm is very visible. To many cars in the center. To many fast bicycle paths. Some other Dutch cities look better.
Ngl I don’t understand the want to remove recycling as a primary method of focus, it’s one of the most successful sustainability campaigns worldwide
Unfortunately recycling is less effective than most of us have been let to believe. Companies have promoted this to both move responsibilities from themselves to consumers and also buy time before they actually have to act. This doesn’t mean we should stop with recycling, but it’s only a small part in a bigger story.
Says circular, shows rectangle
The best design is a LINE in the dessert
great video, much is applicable to other cities in the Netherlands as well, not only to the tourist capital ;) how come your Dutch pronounciation is spot on? and to the point, much of these plans are for rich inhabitants only and create or promote unequality. Sustainability is not affordable for everyone. that is one of the biggest challenges of the programs that cities or other lawmakers are having
Ultra-cheap consumer goods are often built on systems of mass theft and exploitation - both of other poor(er) people and the environment. As companies further optimize these systems, they figure out to how deliver as little of that stolen value to the end consumer as possible and extract more profit. Of course it feels good to buy a new TV for 100 euro or a new tshirt for 2 euro, but that product is almost certainly built with stolen labor (workers paid almost nothing), stolen raw inputs (environmentally destructive, just taken from the producing region), and stolen lifecycle cost (it is designed to break in 2 years and then becomes unprocessable trash that everyone else pays for).
The extra costs of ethecially sourced goods don't just magically appear, it's how everyone/everything involved are fairly compensated. By definition a (true) circular economy can't be/isn't just for "rich" people. Buying a cheap pair of shoes produced 10000km away harms (higher quality) local jobs and wealth - the cost of those shoes essentially exits the local economy immediately, and never comes back. Those shoes (usually) don't support a small business. They will never be repaired by a cobbler. They'll wear out in a couple years, then get thrown in the trash. They'll be made from a conconction of dressed up oil-sludge, so there will be nothing to recycle. So yes the person buying the cheap shoes feels immediate benefit, but everyone around them suffers in the long run. It's the same for most "cheap" products - it's a temporary illusion of advancement.
With the amount of tourists polluting in this city, it’s VERY ambitious… nonetheless I like to see where this goes
This is certainly a great step forward. I wonder how much hinges on having a 'green' mayor, and the threat of dominant rightwing politics that is in full denial regarding the environment?
What’s those words: hopes to be circulair in 2050, haha
These are empty words, hope
And it lies far into the future
As they still ruining plans for a more localized food system @lutkermeerpolder #voedselparkamsterdam