Looking for solutions to ensure that catering waste can be recycled as a mono stream

A large Dutch convention centre, located in Amsterdam, has been creating the ideal conditions for inspiring meetings to take place for more than 125 years. As the organising party they connect context, content and communities utilising national and international consumer- and professional trade fairs. In places where many anonymous international visitors come, it is not possible to create good separation in 3 types of waste bins (paper, plastic and residual waste). Every nationality has different separation criteria, which means that a lot of waste ends up in the wrong bin. The result is therefore, despite the 3 separate types of bins, that all contain waste that is classified as residual waste. Waste from catering activities is very diverse; disposables, PET bottles, food scraps, plastic packaging, etcetera. In the current form it is therefore not a mono stream. The chain must be organized differently: from the purchasing of materials all the way through to processing of the waste. Tests have shown that a waste bin that is marked for disposing of "catering waste" is actually used for waste that consists of food-scraps for 97%. Users apparently understand this category of waste. This indicates the potential of this waste stream. The convention centre is looking for partners to cooperate in the frame of a technical cooperation agreement to develop alternative materials and products in order to find new solutions that ensure that the waste from catering activities becomes a mono stream of waste that can be recycled in a high-quality manner. IMPORTANT: This technology request refers to an innovation challenge published on an open internet platform. If an organization expresses interest before the closing date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform. After registration participants can browse free through other submissions and engage in discussions. All submissions will get feedback by the company on this open platform. The challenge closes on February 16th, 2020. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential. Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After that, the firm will select the organizations with whom they would like to cooperate in the development of a solution. Once the challenge is closed, expressions of interest for this technology request will be treated in the traditional way.