This Dutch Dance Club Is Powered By Food Waste
Rotterdam's new hangout turns fruit and vegetables into energy, and prints furniture from leftovers.
De Fruithaven, or The Fruit Harbour, sounds like the kind of place you'd find filled with healthy food. Located near a fruit markets in Rotterdam, that's not far from the truth, but it also only tells part of the story. Due to open on April 14, the warehouse space is actually a club that will host DJs, dance parties, festivals and other events, plus boast its own beach — and run on power generated by food waste.
Here, there's no shortage of fruit and vegetables. Just don't expect to simply eat them. In addition to its own food waste, the club collects leftovers from nearby restaurants and importers, processes them in a bio fermenter and uses the methane that results for energy, while supplementing their power needs with solar panels. The bio fermentation system also produces organic fertiliser, and another creates plastic out of food waste, which is then run through a 3D printer and transformed into everything from the furniture patrons will sit on to the bar they'll stand at, plus coffee cups, phone cases and more.
Ensuring that De Fruithaven produces zero waste is the name of the game, and it's a worthy goal. Who says running a fun place to hang out had to be bad for the planet? Not the club's masterminds Gilbert Curtessi and Fela Donker, who are actively trying to raise awareness about recycling and reducing food waste. Plenty of bars, pubs, clubs and other companies in the alcohol and nightlife industry have toyed with sustainability — Brisbane's Crowbar started phasing out plastic straws to help the environment, and New Zealand-based vodka company 42BELOW has been turning leftover bar garnishes into hand soap, for example — but few have adopted such a committed, whole-of-venue approach.
Via MUNCHIES / AD.nl. Images: De Fruithaven / Laisa Maria.
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