Since 2022, you have been drinking from a circular drinking cup at the Four Days Marches. This is a soft cup cup, made of recycled plastic (rPET) and recognizable by our logo on the edge. When you return your cup to the bar, new cups can be made from the old cups!
In this way, we work together on cleaner parties, less plastic waste and we comply with applicable legislation. Help us and hand in your last cup at the bar!
This is how our cup system works
All outdoor bars of the Vierdaagsefeesten participate in the same system and use the same cup, so you can order a new drink with your empty cup at all stages and terraces in the city center. The Four Days March is also connected to this system at the Wedren start and finish area and Heumensoord military camp. It is unique in the Netherlands and quite an achievement that we all use the same system with so many different entrepreneurs at such a large, open event!
We use single-use cups that are recycled, because a reusable hard cup cup still has too many disadvantages in terms of hygiene, availability in large quantities and logistics. The single-use cups must be collected cleanly and carefully in order to be able to turn them into cups again. This is not possible if they have already been on the ground and, for example, sand has accumulated on them.
That is why we need the help of visitors to return the used cups to the bar and thus close the cycle. How it works? When you purchase your first drink, you pay a one-time €0.50 environmental contribution. With each subsequent order you only pay the consumption price, provided you return another cup.
The results
We are proud that in 2022, the first year that the circular cup was used, we, together with the public, already managed to collect 58% of the cups and recycle them in high quality. Moreover, everyone was very happy with the clean streets!
In 2023 we managed to increase this to 67%! We are now close to the required 75% that must be achieved this year (2024). Recent editions have proven that our audience really wants to contribute to sustainability. So help us and always return your cup to the bar, even the last cup.
We zijn er trots op dat in 2022, het eerste jaar dat er gebruik werd gemaakt van de circulaire beker, we samen met het publiek al 58% van de bekers wisten in te zamelen en hoogwaardig te recyclen. Bovendien was iedereen erg blij met de schone straten!
In 2023 hebben we dit weten op te hogen naar 67%! We zijn nu dicht bij de benodigde 75% die dit jaar (2024) behaald moet worden. De afgelopen edities hebben bewezen dat ons publiek echt mee wil werken aan verduurzaming. Help ons dus en breng altijd je beker terug naar de bar, ook de laatste beker.
About the system
When you return the cup to the bar, it will first be carefully checked whether any very contaminated cups have ended up among the cup waste. The clean cups are collected and, after a final check, recycled into plastic granules. These granules then go back to the factory, where new cups (or other food packaging) are made. The cups that are not clean enough are recycled into granules that are suitable for making other plastic products that have less strict hygiene requirements.
The cups are made of rPet (recycled PET). At the moment, this is the only material that can be recycled at a high level into new cups. Bioplastic, for example, is not yet possible and is therefore not a more sustainable choice. This is also the reason that legislation that will come into effect in 2024 states that this is the only material that is allowed in a circular system.View the frequently asked questions about the cup system.
We can only make new ones from separately collected cups. That's why in this (Dutch) video we explain how we could make 2.4 million new cups from the first batch of collected cups! That's not enough, so will you help and bring back your last cup?
With the help of partners such as Dar, Albron, the CircularPET Foundation, Paardekooper and the municipality of Nijmegen, we have a lot of knowledge and experience to make this an even greater success every year. So that you can easily hand in your cup at the bar, and you may continue to drink from the same – recycled – cup for years to come.
