– We know that sales of takeaway have increased quite significantly during the corona crisis. At the same time, the Danes have come out more into nature.
– So basically we have a big concern that there is more out there than usual, says Gjerding.
Throughout the week, up to 185,000 Danes will collect rubbish in connection with the waste collection. Collectors will be asked to count and weigh all takeaway packaging they find along the way.
Maria Reumert Gjerding characterizes it as a big problem for nature that garbage from takeaway is left right there.
– It is a problem for those animals who risk eating the packaging because they think it is food. And then the packaging is also broken down into microplastic.
– At the same time, the packaging consists of the materials plastic and metal, which are valuable resources. Those materials should be recycled.
Denmark should therefore introduce a goal of a reduction of disposable packaging of 50 percent in 2025, says the president of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.
– We believe that the use of disposable packaging should be phased out right now. And by 2030, usage should be significantly reduced by 80 percent.
– So with this year’s waste collection, we hope to put the issue of packaging on the political agenda.
The plan is for children from schools and institutions to collect rubbish in nature Monday to Friday, while the adults follow suit on the weekends.
After the collection, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation will make an inventory of how much waste has been found.