The ladies of Zero Foodwaste Rotterdam supply fruit and vegetables to various corona initiatives.

Sarah Stolk and Ella Roelfsema of Zero Foodwaste Rotterdam are full of ideas. They want to reduce food waste in the city and offer food education. With their own distribution centre on the grounds of the Weelde on the Marconistraat in Rotterdam West, they provide various fruit and vegetable meal initiatives during the corona crisis. ‘We see possibilities and opportunities everywhere.’

 

What exactly do you do?

‘At the moment we are mainly concerned with the distribution of food surpluses. We do this by, for example, calling fruit and vegetable auctions. They often have large residual stock which is perfectly fine, but which they can’t get rid of because the market is saturated, for example. The stock is then thrown away. We collect those leftovers, we have a pop-up distribution centre on Marconistraat, and we ensure that the fruit and/or vegetables end up where it’s needed.’

Who receives your products?

‘The Delfshaven Helpt initiative in Delfshaven. It’s an umbrella initiative in Rotterdam West that knows exactly what’s going on in the district. With the leftovers we receive, we can, for example, support meal initiatives such as Zadkine Startcollege. The residual stock is not always suitable for the Food Bank because it’s perishable, but it can still be used in a meal. We collect and deliver the products. Delfshaven Helpt is in charge of where it ends up. We are just the distribution centre in this process. Our goal is to deliver as many healthy products as possible. That’s what we’re lobbying for.’

You’re also developing a training programme?

‘That’s right. We think it’s important that young people also know where fruit and vegetables come from. That a tomato with a bruise is not a problem, that you can cut it out instead of throwing away the whole tomato. We have a garden on-site to show how fruit and vegetables are grown, and we have a construction shed with a kitchen where you can turn the products into a meal. Unfortunately, that has stopped for the moment.’

Do you have any other plans?

‘We would like to deliver fruit to schools in Delfshaven by cargo bike. School fruit is no longer provided at many schools. We also want to deliver fruit and vegetable packages to students to give them a glimpse into the world of waste. A collaboration with the catering industry or the provision of sustainable office fruit is also on our list. As is developing sustainable products like homemade gin from overripe fruit peels.’

What do people think of your ideas?

‘People are often amazed at what we do and want to do. They think we’re very ambitious. But with every new thing we encounter, we immediately think of how to connect it to the city. We see possibilities and solutions everywhere. People like that, they always believe that we’ll succeed. That is often the case. We get a lot of energy from this work.’

Can you use any help?

‘We want to start a volunteer pool. If a large batch of cucumbers arrives, for example, we need people to sort it. So, if you’d like to come and help, get in touch with us. Growers who have a surplus and want to donate can also contact us. Companies that want to support us financially to help us through the coming months are also very welcome. We have a crowdfunding page (Hyperlink: https://www.zerofoodwastedoneer.nl/ ). Contact us via sarah@zerofoodwaste.nl or ella@zerofoodwaste.nl.

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