Tegelwippen: de-paving the Dutch way!

Too much paved surface in London is leading to flooding and sewage overflowing into rivers. One of the most important things we can do is de-pave everything from verges to front gardens

Stories about the NK Tegelwippen (tile-tipping) competition occasionally appear in the UK press. The competition aims to inspire Dutch people to remove tiles from their gardens and replace them with greenery. Eva Braaksma, one of the people behind this campaign, spoke to CPRE London about the competition.

For more information about CPRE London’s work on front gardens, highlighting the environmental problems caused by householders paving over their front gardens, see here.

Extreme weather

The NK Tegelwippen competition was conceived in 2020 by campaign agency Frank Lee in collaboration with the collective ‘Dus Wat Gaan Wij Doen’. Since the competition began five years ago, householders in the Netherlands have embraced the idea, lifting over 14 million tiles.

Eva Braaksma, co-founder and creative director at Frank Lee, explains that the competition was a response to the increasingly extreme weather in the Netherlands. ‘We have to deal with problems such as heat stress and flooding because our living environment is highly urbanized. Pavement does not cool down on a hot day and does not let water through when it rains. That rainwater can then overload the sewer system or run into your basement. More greenery counteracts this.’

Swipe to win

The competition takes place from 21 March to 31 October, with municipalities across the Netherlands entering; the one that swipes the most tiles wins. Anyone can participate by removing tiles from their garden and replacing them with grass, flower beds, trees and façade gardens. People register their lifted tiles via the competition website with some basic information and a before and after picture. In 2024, 199 municipalities competed.

Many will no doubt wonder what happens to the tiles. According to Eva, each city has its own policy, but a lot of them collect the tiles and recycle them.

Growing the project

While Eva and her fellow campaigners do not lobby the Dutch Government, they are supported by the National Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. And there are plans to grow the movement. Since 2023 the project has been exported to Flanders (VK Tegelwippen), and Eva would love to inspire more countries.

‘It’s an awareness campaign, we want people to know that they can help themselves and the environment a little bit by greening their garden and having less pavement. Of course, it would be great if the campaign wasn’t necessary anymore! No more pointless paving anywhere!’

Further information:

• Facts and figures about tegelwippen – from the Interlace Hub.
• ‘We need to accept the weeds’: the Dutch tile whipping contest seeking to restore greenery – The Guardian.
• Guide on creating façade gardens in the Netherlands.