Cologne Carnival
With or without plastic? “Strüßjer” dispute before Shrove Monday
Carnivalists on the floats distribute camels and bouquets of flowers (Strüßjer) at the Cologne Rose Monday procession – but how environmentally friendly is the packaging? photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
In addition to the “Kamelle”, the “Strüßjer” are coveted loot for spectators of the Cologne Shrove Monday procession. But there is trouble about the traditional plastic packaging of the little bouquets.
The carnivalists throw around 300,000 “Strüßjer” into the crowd at the Cologne Shrove Monday procession. The spectators eagerly catch them and stuff them into their bags. Because of this somewhat rough treatment, the small bouquets – consisting of a flower and green accessories – are traditionally wrapped in plastic. But if the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee has its way, train participants should in future do without plastic packaging.
“We are starting at various points to make the Shrove Monday procession more sustainable and environmentally friendly step by step,” explains train director Holger Kirsch. “This clearly also includes avoiding waste, for example by using reusable cups in the deposit system or by using environmentally friendly packaging.” Plastic packaging is not necessary. “The festival committee has therefore decided not to do it at all and has also called on its companies to do so.”
“Red sparks” against paper packaging
But the initiative is met with resistance from some of them. “The “Strüßjer” have no chance of getting home safely without a bag,” says Günter Ebert from the board of directors of the “Rote Funken”, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year and also represents the triumvirate. “Without packaging, they fall apart when thrown, or the flowers snap off when caught.” Paper packaging is not an alternative, since the “Strüßjer” are in the water until shortly before they are used.
When it comes to avoiding waste in the “Zoch”, it’s better to start with the “Kamelle” instead of the “Strüßjer”, says Ebert. Because compared to the approximately 300 tons of sweets, the flowers only accounted for a small proportion of the throwing material.
In the case of the “Rote Funken”, for example, the boxes in which the sweets are delivered are unpacked beforehand and not even taken to the “Zoch”. “Instead of cheap chocolate that nobody wants to eat and pick up, we throw out branded products, and a little less of them.” If all companies did that, the amount of waste generated during the Shrove Monday procession would be reduced by up to 30 percent, says Ebert. In any case, the “Red Funken” want to hold on to the plastic packaging of the “Strüßjer” for the time being.