.nl in the spotlight: afvalgoedgeregeld.nl
"A cleaner world begins with the separation and recycling of our waste packaging"
Behind every .nl registration, there's a story. A story that can inspire other people setting out in business, or inspire us all to help make the world a better place. A story that deserves to be told. Like the story of afvalgoedgeregeld.nl, an initiative whose goals include easing the shortage of raw materials. At the moment, 82 per cent of all packaging in the Netherlands is recycled. However, the optimal re-use of packaging materials depends on improvements along the whole length of the chain. Including the separation and recycling of waste packaging. With the aim of supporting schools and businesses with their separation and recycling, the Waste Packaging Foundation and Nedvang have launched a joint initiative at afvalgoedgeregeld.nl ('waste-all-sorted-dot-nl'). The Foundation's Communications Advisor Renate Flaman tells us how the initiative is helping to make the world cleaner.
What's the background to the Waste All Sorted initiative?
"The Waste Packaging Foundation handles the municipal collection, sorting and recycling of packaging on behalf of the business community," explains Renate. "From 1 January 2023, we'll also be responsible for the collection of plastic, drinks cartons and glass from schools, shops and other businesses. Our Waste All Sorted initiative has been set up to help schools and businesses with their activities in this field. On afvalgoedgeregeld.nl, there's a registration portal where, until 18 May 2022, they can register to get their separated packaging waste collected for free. On 1 January 2023, our Foundation will start a collection service to gather in all the packaging that registered participants have kept separate and put ready. The initiative supports our primary mission: to help build a world where all packaging is turned back into raw materials. The more we recycle, the less raw materials are needed to make new packaging, the cleaner the environment is and the better the world is."
"We work hard to communicate that message to schools and businesses. We also focus heavily on primary schools. By teaching children from a young age why it's important to separate and recycle packaging, you make it more likely that the next generation of adults will dispose of waste responsibly. And pass on good habits to the generations that follow. What's learnt in the cradle lasts to the grave."
How are you publicising the initiative?
"Our target audience is huge, because there's an enormous number of schools and businesses in the Netherlands. So we've teamed up with DPG Media to run a campaign that's designed to get our message to as many businesses as possible. We're reaching out to businesses through trade associations and trying to get the attention of facility managers. We're doing that using mailshots and various social media channels. On the internet, you can communicate with a large audience, and you have a better idea how many businesses you've reached. People who get our e-mails or read our social media posts can easily click through to afvalgoedgeregeld.nl. Various prominent news outlets will soon be running pieces on our initiative as well. We've teamed up with the Podium communications agency to reach out to schools. Podium specialises in that field."
How did you come up with your .nl domain name?
"Our aim is to reach as many schools and businesses as possible. So we need a domain name that's easy to remember and easy to type into a browser or search engine. A name that makes it clear what the initiative is all about. We looked at various options, and decided that afvalgoedgeregeld.nl ticked those boxes the best. We're providing a service to schools and businesses in the Netherlands, so .nl was the obvious choice. After registering the domain name, we developed the entire website in the space of ten weeks, with the help of an agency called Goedemiddag!."
What are your plans for the next few years?
"The registration window for 2023 closes on 18 May 2022. After that, we'll clarify which schools and businesses have registered, where they're located and how we'll organise the collections. Once the system is up and running, we'll reopen the registration portal, so that more schools and businesses can sign up. Then, hopefully, the number of participating schools and businesses can grow year by year. Ultimately, we'd like to achieve a completely closed production and disposal cycle in the Netherlands. In other words, the reuse of all packaging and other materials, removing the need for additional raw materials. The future of the world depends on circular economies."
Do you have any advice for other start-ups?
"One important tip for anyone just getting started is thoroughly test your ideas on your prospective end users. Ask them to look at your website and tell you whether any of the information they want is missing, for example. If there's anything you want them to do – like we want them to register for collections – get them to go through the process and see whether it's clear and straightforward. In our case, that led to us adding a visual guide, explaining who can register and what kinds of waste we collect. Visitors to our website can also follow an interactive step-by-step demo, covering everything from signing up to the actual separation of waste. Another thing we did was build a page aimed specifically at schools, explaining how we can help them with the separation of waste packaging. So that together we can bring a clean world a step closer."
Would you like the Waste Packaging Foundation to collect your school's or business's waste for free from 1 January 2023? Register at https://www.afvalgoedgeregeld.nl/aanmelden before 18 May.
Want to read more business stories?
Take a look at other entrepreneurs and startups and their .nl.