Amsterdam is building a circular economy

Amsterdam wants to be entirely circular by the middle of the century. This would mean that all materials used would move in a loop, unlike our current Take-Make-Toss wasteful process.

https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram

While they’re trying to improve recycling and address food waste, their efforts go far beyond. Construction is a main focus since they can control that within the city. New developments are required to use circular methods, like using recycled aluminum, wood, and concrete.

A new community land trust plans to use circular-construction methods. A bridge behind Amsterdam’s central train station will be dismantled and reused in another neighborhood. When the wooden floor for an indoor cycle track had to be replaced, it was made into furniture. A new measurement tool helps give different food products a score on circularity. In a city park, a café was built from materials from nearby demolition sites and local trees that had been cut down. AMS Institute also has several other pilots, including a project that is collecting old solar panels that will be reinstalled on the homes of low-income residents.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90816827/20-creative-ways-and-counting-that-amsterdam-is-pushing-to-make-its-economy-circular

A couple actions can get anyone halfway to the goal:

• Keep it longer. Choose durable brands and use your stuff twice as long (clothing, cellphones, cars).
• Share what you need (through lending libraries and clothing sharing platforms or simply informal relationships in your neighborhood.)
• Reuse/recycle. Once you’re done with something, put it back into the circular economy loop. Sell or give it away on Craigslist, donate it to a thrift shop, or seek out a place to recycle it.