At the end of next month, the ’tile taxi’ will be back on the road in Eindhoven. The municipality is offering the opportunity to collect old garden tiles free of charge. The aim is to involve residents in making the city more sustainable and greener.
Getting rid of heavy garden tiles can be a problem. “With our free tile taxi, we collect old tiles and make it easier and more attractive to green your garden. In this way you contribute to a healthier and greener city, for people and animals”,says alderperson Rik Thijs.
Greening
By giving away tiles, residents contribute both to reducing waste and to a more sustainable use of materials. Thijs: “A green garden provides cooling in the summer. Tiles actually retain heat. In addition, rainwater can penetrate the soil more easily, so that plants can absorb this water during dry periods”.
According to the municipality, the latter also helps to reduce flooding. Moreover, greenery also attracts birds, butterflies and other insects, which promotes biodiversity and makes for a pleasant living environment. A green environment also furthers good health.
NK tile toss
The tiles collected by the tile taxi also contribute to a good ranking in the NK-tilewopping competition. In this annual competition, municipalities throughout the Netherlands compete to see who can replace the most tiles with grass, flower beds, trees or façade gardens.
The municipality that collects the most tiles wins the ‘Golden Shovel’ and can call itself the most sustainable place in the country. Last year, Eindhoven collected 64,030 tiles. This put Eindhoven in 18th place in the competition with large municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The taxi goes round on 27 March.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
