How ‘circular’ are you?

The circular economy is all the rage, but what is it exactly? And how do you go ‘circular’? Postdoc researcher Evelien de Olde of the Animal Production Systems chair group wondered about this and decided to create a test based on the existing literature. See how you score and find out how circular you are.
Illustration: Henk van Ruitenbeek

Text: Evelien de Olde

a. Throw it away. Time to go shopping!C-1
b. Repair it (mum?)R41
c. Nothing, that’s fashionableR22
d. Use it as pyjamasR12
e. Goes in the textile recycling binR80

a. None, or not much meatR22
b. Game or meat from nature areasR22
b. Game or meat from nature areasC-1
d. Offal and other parts such as the tail and trottersR61

a. Give to a housemate or save for another timeR31
b. Feed to chickens, rabbits or pigsR71
c. I never have leftoversR22
d. Throw away (immediately or after keeping them for a month in the fridge)R90
Illustration: Henk van Ruitenbeek

a. No problem, it’ll last a few more yearsR22
b. Some friend or relative will be happy to have itR31
c. Take it to the second-hand shopR31
d. On the New Year’s Eve bonfireR90
e. Have it upholstered againR51

a. Put on a thick jumperR02
b. Turn the thermostat up one degree and put on a jumperR22
c. Turn the thermostat up to 21C-1
d. Wash up, clear up and hoover to get warmR12

a. Get one of those little plastic LED lights from the supermarketC-1
b. Fit a new wire or bulb in your current bike lightR41
c. There’s an old bike in the shed with lights that work; you decide to use themR61
d. Go without lightsR02
Illustration: Henk van Ruitenbeek

a. My own mugR31
b. Plastic or paper cups because they get recycled anywayR80
c. I don’t drink coffeeR02

a. No egg at allR02
b. A Kipster/Oerei egg (eggs from chickens fed with waste products or insects)R71
c. An egg from my own chickens (which get fed leftovers sometimes)R71
d. Just the usual supermarket onesC-1

a. Great, I wanted the new iPhone X anywayC-1
b. OK, I’ll buy a second-hand oneR51
c. I’ll get the screen replacedR41
d. I’ve still got an old, indestructible Nokia somewhereR22

a. Resource? Never heard of it! (Eh…)R02
b. I share it with my housemates or colleaguesR12
c. I read it onlineR22
d. I use it as cat litter, decoration, toilet paper…R71
e. On the bonfire!R90
f. I put it out for recyclingR80

Your score


Circular economy ladder

The points in this test are based on the ten levels of circularity that are identified in the literature. We added level C — consuming — ourselves. At this level, there is no circularity at all and the use of raw materials increases.

We admit that this point scoring system results in some strange ‘advice’. In question 6, for example, cycling without a light gives the most points because Refuse (R0) is at the top of the ladder, whereas it’s obviously a bad idea. For food too, not consuming at all is not an option. Those are cases where you are better off a little further down the circularity ladder.


Sources

Circular economy: what we want to know and can measure. Framework and baseline assessment for monitoring the progress of the circular economy in the Netherlands. Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), 2018

Circulaire economie – van wens naar uitvoering [Circular economy — from wish to implementation]. Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (RLI), 2015

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