Dahab Defender: Annet Fransen

Many of you may already be familiar with Annet, a talented baker here in Dahab, but did you know that she also works hard on reducing plastic waste? When I saw a post on Facebook about Annet reusing Tetra Paks as packaging for slices of cake, I contacted her to learn about her efforts. Impressed by what she was doing, I nominated her as a Dahab Defender and asked her to tell us more about what she does. She was kind enough to answer some questions for our blog:

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You are well-known in the Dahab community for your delicious brownies. What other baked goods do you offer and where can they be purchased?

– Ah, essential questions first  – For the moment I’m only baking for the Hands of Dahab Market (Thursdays at the Tea Garden in Mashraba). [UPDATE MARCH 2016: Annet is baking now for the Dahab Community Market on Friday afternoons at Sheikh Salem.] I also do the occasional special order for a birthday cake or special event – these are often special ‘projects’ such as gluten-free or sugar-free baking. I like to do my foodie research and come up with a nice alternative for these occasions, but I keep this baking down to a minimum as I also have a ‘real job’ to attend to.

What motivated you to start reducing waste?

Living in Dahab, and walking around town, having to step over dirty diapers, plastic, glass etc.. it’s almost impossible not to be motivated to reduce waste 😉 I’m not a diver and only an occasional snorkeler, but I’m obviously also aware of the damage to the coral and marine life from waste disposal. Here in Dahab, as everything is less structured than in Europe, you soon learn to take responsibility for some basic things, such as waste. Without a fully functioning waste disposal system, waste reduction is the way to go. You can easily compost and/or feed organic waste to the goats, recycle/upcycle some of your boxes & bottles for use around the house and garden. I’m definitely not reducing waste as much as I should just yet, but if we can all do a little the effect is already there.

Polystyrene trays, plastic wrap, and plastic utensils are typically used by many sellers to serve or package food. What alternative packaging do you use?

I use mostly paper for all my packaged foods – whether these are recycled magazines or large rolls of ‘brown paper’ for wrapping pie slices and cookies/brownies. I also collect Tetra Paks & small cardboard boxes for more fragile items, such as pies with cream toppings. I think it’s fairly easy to reduce or completely eradicate polystyrene this way. At the market, we’ve also introduced a 5 LE money-back policy for anyone who brings their own containers (this is funded from our table fees). Quite a few people have gotten used to bringing their Tupperware to the market. I still offer plastic forks, but a lot of people don’t take them, as they buy a drink at the restaurant with their cake and then use a teaspoon, or eat with their hands.

Paper packaging instead of plastic.

Reusing magazines as food containers.

Where do you get the materials that you recycle?

I use rolls of paper that we buy by the kilo in Cairo. I cut the large rolls into squares, and a large paper roll will last me at least a year. In addition to that I use magazine pages and recycled boxes & Tetra Paks. So far my own supplies have been pretty much sufficient, but I could definitely use more Tetra Paks 

Tetra Paks as plates.

What about in the shopping and preparation of your baked goods? Have you found ways to reduce the packaging waste of the ingredients you purchase?

I usually bring my own bags to the market, and I go for paper packaging (flour for instance) where I can, I also bring my own egg box (also to reduce breakage), but that’s as far as I’ve come in this department..

What has been the biggest obstacle that you have faced in your efforts to reduce waste?

To some extent, a lack of planning on my part. I also find it tricky to transport the pies to the market without using plastic bags – here I’ve been reusing plastic bags from my shopping.

You also offer cooking classes at your home. Can you tell us a bit more about these and any earth-friendly practices you promote through these classes?

Yes, I’ve been offering cooking classes – though at the moment I just find I’m too busy for them. In these classes I always try to show my students how I grow salads & herbs in my own garden. And I always make a point of showing how much of our cooking class waste can go on the compost heap, and how easy it is to have one in the garden. A lot of people are worried about bugs, smells etc., but I’ve never found this to be a problem with my compost.

Do you have any advice for other vendors or small business owners who would like to start reducing waste? Where should they start?

• Find suppliers of paper packaging. They are definitely there in Cairo, and I’ve heard rumors of paper packaging in Dahab (maybe you know more about this?).

• Try to give customers a small incentive for bringing their own container, maybe a small discount or a larger portion? People really appreciate this and you also reduce cost by not using packaging.

• You could also offer reusable packaging, such as a few Tupperware containers or other food containers, for resale in your restaurant/shop, to get people started on bringing their own containers and raise awareness.

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Many thanks to Annet and the Hands of Dahab Community Market for their efforts in reducing plastic waste!

Remember to bring your own container to the market on Fridays, Dahabians! And if you have empty Tetra Paks, consider saving them and passing them on to Annet to reuse as plates. (Note: Currently, Tetra Paks are NOT collected and recycled by Hemaya.)

Search for the Dahab Community Market Group on Facebook to contact Annet or other vendors and organizers. 

Refuse ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle

Bring your own container for take-away!

Who doesn’t love koshary?! I know I do! But I REFUSE to buy koshary from the street carts because the pasta and rice are usually already packed in a disposable plastic container. Instead we buy koshary for take-away from the Mix Restaurant on the corner of Fanar Street, across from Leila’s Bakery. A delicious, nutritious, and plastic-free meal!

Buying Butter without Packaging

Egyptian butter is often sold in either plastic bags or on polystyrene trays with plastic wrap. You’ll usually find this butter in the big freezers or refrigerated deli counters. Imported butter is also available wrapped in waxed or foiled paper. 

Fortunately for us here in Dahab, it’s also very easy to buy butter without any packaging! Simply bring your own container and ask the deli clerk for the amount of butter, in fractions of kilos, that you would like to buy. He’ll weigh your container first and then add the butter that you’ve asked for. When you are ready to check-out, the deli clerk will confirm with the cashier how much butter he has given you. Buying butter in your own container allows you not only to reduce waste, but also to choose the exact amount of butter you’d like since the clerk will be cutting off smaller pieces from a large block of butter. Buy a lot and keep it in your own freezer or purchase just a small amount. It’s up to you!

REFUSING to buy butter in its usual packaging takes some practice – and some planning! As usual, we recommend the deli at the 1,000 Items (Alf Sunf) supermarket located in Asalah Square. The clerks there are friendly and are now used to us bringing our own containers. Friends of mine have also reported that El Wekala supermarket, next to Ibrahim’s veggie shop in the square, are also open and easy-going about customers bringing their own containers.

(If you’re wondering what’s so bad about the polystyrene trays, read this.)

Have you purchased butter using your own container? Did you find the clerks helpful or did you run into any problems? Or are you willing to try this on your next shopping trip?

Refuse ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle

 

Delicious, Nutritious, and Plastic-Free!

Supermarket ~ Green grocer ~ Pharmacy ~ Bakery ~ Household goods shop ~ Electronics shop ~ Restaurant Take Away ~ Community Markets 

Where else can we REFUSE plastic shopping bags here in Dahab?

Besides the typical shopping bags, there are other plastic bags that we can learn to REFUSE – like the small bags that are used at the local fool and tameya shops. If you are anything like my husband and me – lovers of this local traditional street food – REFUSING these smalls bags can save a lot of plastic from ending up in the dumpsters.

Traditional Egyptian food in a reusable plastic container.

Nadim buys his lunch nearly everyday: one fool with egg sandwich and one aubergine sandwich. His favorite place – and one that has learned his plastic-free habit – is Abu Ahmed’s, located in Asala Square between Ghazala Market and 1,000 Items. It has taken some time, but Nadim has developed the habit of bringing his own reusable plastic containers to the shop and asking the servers to use these instead of the plastic bags. This may make you feel silly or embarrassed at first, pushing you out of your comfort zone. Be brave and remember, Egyptians are generally friendly people and a smile goes a long way.

It has taken some time for the shopkeepers to get used to Nadim’s request, but it has happened. In fact, a few weeks ago, he left the house without a container but decided to buy lunch anyway and the shop owner asked Nadim where his box was!

TIP: If you don’t own any lightweight reusable containers, check to see if you have any old food containers that you can REUSE, for example, the plastic boxes that cheese, sour cream, or helawa come in.

Tameya in a paper cone.

My favorite shop is no longer open, but there they would wrap the loose tameya or sandwiches in paper before putting them in a plastic bag, making it easy to refuse the bags and take the yummies away in only paper. Many shops regularly use paper for the loose tameya but not the sandwiches. I wonder why more shops don’t use paper for sandwiches and how we can convince them to do so.

TIP: If you forget your own container, check to see if the shop has paper. If they are not too busy, they should be willing to use that instead of plastic bags for your order of sandwiches.

TIP: If the shop is really busy when you arrive, be prepared to wait. Interrupting the factory-like production of the sandwiches with a request for no plastic bags is sometimes difficult. Hang in there! And don’t be discouraged if your request doesn’t always get fulfilled.

TIP: If you carry a backpack or a large purse, put your reusable food containers in the pack before you leave the house in the morning. That way you’ll always be prepared for a delicious, nutritious, and plastic-free snack!

Do you like to eat the traditional Egyptian street food? Would you be willing to try to bring your own containers? Or do you already use your own food containers? Do you have a favorite shop or can you recommend one that is willing to take the time to fill your containers instead of plastic bags or one that uses paper instead of plastic?

Refuse ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle