5-cent premium on top of deposit until collection has improved

Consumers should temporarily receive an extra €0.05 deposit back for their returned cans and plastic bottles. This is the plea of the Consumentenbond and Fair Resource Foundation. The premium should apply until the millions of euros in unclaimed deposits are returned to consumers or the legal collection standard is met. Stichting Verpact is responsible for the deposit system and has the legal task of collecting 90% of all sold bottles and cans. But that percentage is nowhere near being met. Only 74% of the sold bottles are returned. No figures are available yet for cans, but the expectation is that collection is going no better. As a result, hundreds of millions of euros in unclaimed deposits are currently in Verpact’s bank account. And millions of euros are added to that every week. Insufficient return points The low return rate is mainly due to a shortage of good return points, say the Consumentenbond and Fair Resource Foundation (FRF). Consumers often buy bottles and cans on the go, in sports canteens or cinemas, but cannot return them there. Maarten van Heuven, project coordinator at FRF: 'Verpact started creating sufficient return points far too late. They are staring blindly at reverse vending machines in large supermarkets instead of manual processing at the points of purchase. In addition, the reverse vending machines in supermarkets are also often busy and broken. So it is certainly not made easy for consumers. And meanwhile, the money is piling up at Verpact.' Unfair The large amount of money left unused was the reason for Verpact to reduce the contribution of beverage manufacturers by over 10%. The manufacturers contribute to the deposit system. 'Unfair', says Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumentenbond: 'It is deposit money that consumers have paid. Therefore, it should go back to them, instead of giving a discount to manufacturers.' Win-win According to the organisations, a temporary premium on the deposit creates a win-win situation. Consumers receive €0.05 cents more than they paid in deposit, which is an extra incentive to return cans and bottles. And Verpact will reach its collection target sooner. House of Representatives On 19 December 2024, the House of Representatives will discuss the millions sitting on the shelf at Verpact with the responsible ministers. In a letter to the House, the Consumentenbond asks to embrace the idea of the premium and discuss it with the foundation. For more information or interviews, please contact: Fair Resource Foundation Maarten van Heuven maarten@fairresourcefoundation.org 06 41 90 51 67 Related tags More on this topic

Consumers should temporarily receive an extra €0.05 deposit back for their returned cans and plastic bottles. This is the plea of the Consumentenbond and Fair Resource Foundation. The premium should apply until the millions of euros in unclaimed deposits are returned to consumers or the legal collection standard is met.

Stichting Verpact is responsible for the deposit system and has the legal task of collecting 90% of all sold bottles and cans. But that percentage is nowhere near being met. Only 74% of the sold bottles are returned. No figures are available yet for cans, but the expectation is that collection is going no better. As a result, hundreds of millions of euros in unclaimed deposits are currently in Verpact’s bank account. And millions of euros are added to that every week.

Insufficient return pointsThe low return rate is mainly due to a shortage of good return points, say the Consumentenbond and Fair Resource Foundation (FRF). Consumers often buy bottles and cans on the go, in sports canteens or cinemas, but cannot return them there. Maarten van Heuven, project coordinator at FRF: 'Verpact started creating sufficient return points far too late. They are staring blindly at reverse vending machines in large supermarkets instead of manual processing at the points of purchase. In addition, the reverse vending machines in supermarkets are also often busy and broken. So it is certainly not made easy for consumers. And meanwhile, the money is piling up at Verpact.'

UnfairThe large amount of money left unused was the reason for Verpact to reduce the contribution of beverage manufacturers by over 10%. The manufacturers contribute to the deposit system. 'Unfair', says Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumentenbond: 'It is deposit money that consumers have paid. Therefore, it should go back to them, instead of giving a discount to manufacturers.'

Win-winAccording to the organisations, a temporary premium on the deposit creates a win-win situation. Consumers receive €0.05 cents more than they paid in deposit, which is an extra incentive to return cans and bottles. And Verpact will reach its collection target sooner.

House of RepresentativesOn 19 December 2024, the House of Representatives will discuss the millions sitting on the shelf at Verpact with the responsible ministers. In a letter to the House, the Consumentenbond asks to embrace the idea of the premium and discuss it with the foundation.

For more information or interviews, please contact:Fair Resource FoundationMaarten van Heuven maarten@fairresourcefoundation.org 06 41 90 51 67

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