Tile whipping: The eco-friendly sport taking over the Netherlands

A months’ long contest occurring annually in the Netherlands since 2021 sees residents vying to remove as many paving slabs from their gardens as possible.

Known as ‘tile whipping’ – tegelwippen – it was dreamt up by creative agency Frank Lee to encourage the greening and rewilding of urban spaces.

Now considered a national sport, it sees swathes of grey concrete replaced by trees, grass and vegetable plots every year.

‘We want to go from grey to green’

During the months of the annual competition, Dutch residents are encouraged to replace paving slabs in their gardens with greenery and plants, and then report their activity with photo proof.

The joyful contest has won over the nation as a creative way to make a positive change amidst the ongoing climate crisis.

“When tiles are replaced by grass, flower beds, trees and facade gardens, the Netherlands becomes more climate-proof, more comfortable for insects and animals, cooler on hot days and much more beautiful,” competition organiser and creative agency Frank Lee writes on its website.

“We want to go from grey to green. Because it also makes you happier.”

The practice is contributing to tackling one of the Netherlands’ growing challenges exacerbated by extreme weather.

While more erratic and heavier rainfall puts a strain on the country’s sewer systems,less concrete and hard surfaces equal better drainage.

The Netherlands replace 5.5 million paving tiles with greenery in 2024

According to the Tegelwippen competition website, 5.5 million paving slabs were ‘whipped’ around the Netherlands in 2024 – a new record.

In 2024, the light-hearted contest that pits nearly 200 participating municipalities against each other took place between 21 March and 31 October.

Removed slabs are carried away by local authorities for free using ‘tile taxis’ which also deliver plants.

There’s one important rule, though: no lifting paving slabs from public space.

Those who don’t have a garden can make a request to local authorities for permission to construct a ‘facade garden’ – a strip of greenery between the pavement and property fronts.

The winners were the communities of Venlo, Vlaardingen and Halderberge, which lifted the most tiles per resident and received the ‘golden shovel’.

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The municipality of Venlo also won the coveted ‘golden tile’ for the most lifted tiles overall – an impressive 414,395 in total.

There are also ‘whipper of the month’ titles awarded to individual participants for particularly commendable efforts.