Seven years ago, he made a kiteboard out of plastic waste using a blowtorch and an iron. Today, our Wavemaker of the Month is a regular guest in industry board rooms and a driver of political reform. As one of the Netherlands’ leading figures in the fight against plastic pollution, Merijn Tinga – also known as the Plastic Soup Surfer – achieved what others couldn’t: the introduction of a deposit return system for small single-use plastic bottles.
Back in 2014 he was an artist with a love for kitesurfing. “I started noticing the plastic in the water and on the beach. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it. During a beach cleanup, I collected some and created a kiteboard. I’d always wanted to surf a long distance and decided I could use it to raise awareness about plastic pollution – by literally surfing on the plastic soup. That was the moment the biologist, the artist and the surfer in me came together.” His record attempt – a three-day, 500-kilometer trip from Belgium to Germany – stranded on the last day on a Dutch island. But the Plastic Soup Surfer was born.
Let’s get political
While Merijn was going around using his new alter ego to raise awareness about plastic litter, fishing for microplastic and cleaning up plastic from the ocean, the Netherlands almost axed the existing deposit return system for large plastic bottles. “At which point I thought: ‘What’s the point of what I’m doing?’ That’s when I decided to take a different approach and get involved in the political discussion about a deposit and recycling system for small single-use plastic bottles.”
It was a discussion that had come to a standstill. After dragging on for years, the parties involved were either for or against it, and weren’t able to have a conversation anymore.
60,000 signatures
Merijn decided to shake things up by crossing the North Sea on yet another kiteboard made from single-use plastic bottles, collecting nearly 60,000 signatures in support of introducing a deposit on small single-use plastic bottles. But instead of asking parliament to commit to introducing the deposit system, he surprised them by asking them to sign a resolution.
Spoiler alert: they did.
Reducing litter by 90 percent
The resolution demanded a 90 percent reduction in littered plastic bottles in three years. How government and industries would achieve that? That was up to them. By shifting the focus to the prevention of litter and away from the details of the deposit return system, people were able to look at the issue with fresh eyes and actually move forward. In other words: a political break-through.
Plastic. Doesn’t. Decay.
The government offered the industry a choice: reduce the amount of littered single-use plastic bottles within two years, or agree to introduce a deposit return system. So, in 2020, with the 90 percent reduction still nowhere in sight, the Dutch government decided to make a deposit on small single-use plastic bottles compulsory as of 1 July 2021. Cue biodegradable confetti. From that day on, you’ll pay a little extra when you buy one, which you get back when you return it to be recycled.
For Merijn, though, recycling is only part of the goal. The overarching challenge he wants everyone to be aware of is our attitude towards plastic as a material. “We’re maintaining a throwaway culture using a material that doesn’t decay. That’s a contradiction in terms and that’s what we need to tackle.
Pressure to innovate
As long as choosing single-use plastic products is still the easiest and often cheapest, it’s hard to expect behavioural change on a large scale, Merijn thinks. Which is where government and brands need to take responsibility. Take Mars bars. Every hour 1 million bars with single-use plastic wrappers are produced in Veghel, The Netherlands. “The company is fully aware that 1-2 per cent of those plastic wrappers ends up polluting the environment. We’re pressuring them to innovate, to consider refillable packaging, a different material – the solution is up to them. Their choice of packaging is their responsibility.”
Planning, common sense and moderation
While we need systemic change, to an extent, people can already protect themselves from being in a position where they ‘have to’ buy single-use plastic. “Sustainability involves planning, some common sense and moderation. For example, not buying single-use plastic water bottles really isn’t that hard in the Netherlands.”
We’re a little biased, but we couldn’t agree more. By always (always) bringing your reusable water bottle, you can quench your thirst wherever you are – without having to buy single-use plastic ones. Sound like something you can commit to?