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Will Dijkgraaf students dispose of their own rubbish?

Residents of the Dijkgraaf student flats have to decide if they want to carry their own household waste to a collection point from now on, in exchange for a rental discount In return from student housing provider Idealis.

Last summer, Idealis also attempted to get all its tenants to take their own rubbish to the containers beside the housing complexes. This worked fine in most of the student residences but Dijkgraaf residents did not give a hoot. All they did was to throw their full bags of waste from the balconies to the ground floor. There was such a mess that Idealis decided to call an early end to its trial. Idealis is now giving this student housing complex another try. Its residents have received a form in their letterboxes on which they can indicate if they want to take on the task of carrying their rubbish bags away. In return, they will get a discount of 2.50 euros on the monthly rent. A no for answer will be matched with a raise in service costs. This new measure will only be implemented if 70 percent of the residents answer yes. Idealis has placed rubbish bins on every floor to enable tidy rubbish collection.

Homes for the aged

‘We feel that the residents are perfectly able to take their own rubbish away,’ says an Idealis spokesperson. ‘Moreover, I think that paying less rent would make a difference to students since they are generally not well-off.’ Max Jonkman, residents’ representative, does not know if Dijkgraaf residents can be won over with money. ‘The residents here are not interested in walking for two and a half euros. They are used to the present easy way. Me too. At the same time, I do agree with Idealis that times have changed. Where else is waste collected from your doorstep? Only in homes for the aged!’ In the other student complexes such as Hoevestein, students are already taking their own waste away. But Dijkgraaf is a case apart, says Max. ‘A different mentality exists here. Many students here just chuck their rubbish outside anyway. There’s nothing I haven’t seen lying around below: rubbish bags, sandwich toasters, television sets. These students are not about to change their behaviour for a few euros.’ Max cannot say what the outcome will be. Idealis has already declared that its final decision will rest on the result, expected to be known next week. ‘If the answer is a no, we will continue to collect the rubbish. The service costs will go up in any case because cleaning services have now become more expensive.’ Other student complexes will also get the forms in their letter boxes soon.

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