Coca-Cola leaves the door ajar for a deposit scheme in Belgium

Coca-Cola Enterprises in Ghent received a striking delivery on Monday morning. Santa Claus personally delivered 1,224 cola cans and bottles collected from litter to the manager of Coca-Cola.

With this action, campaigners from the environmental organisations Recycling Netwerk Benelux and Gents MilieuFront together asked the American multinational to cease its backroom opposition to the introduction of a deposit return scheme and to speak out in favour of deposits on cans and plastic bottles.

First, the answer from the CEO of the branch in Ghent was 'yes', then from Coca-Cola Belgium it officially became 'not no' to a deposit return scheme. In any case, Coca-Cola is leaving the door ajar for the introduction of deposits on beverage packaging. Opinions are shifting.

Coca-Cola's new stance also demonstrates that not all companies stand behind Fevia's hard "njet". This should be the signal for Minister Joke Schauvliege and the Flemish Bourgeois Government to introduce a deposit return scheme. The people want it. And Coca-Cola says they are not against it.

from AVS

Read also De Standaard: “Coca-Cola says not no to deposits”

Christmas wishes

In the run-up to the Christmas period, Coca-Cola is touring around again with its Coca-Cola Christmas Truck. A good moment to start the conversation about deposits.

The largest waste intermunicipal company in Flanders, Limburg.net, addressed the Coca-Cola staff with cans and bottles from litter. Limburg.net is also a member of the Deposit Alliance (Statiegeldalliantie), which by now counts more than 47 partners from Flanders and the Netherlands.

from TV Limburg.

Deposit return scheme

We simply want to convey a powerful Christmas wish from many people. The beverage multinational must speak out positively in favour of a 'money-back' system when you return bottles or cans to your local retailer or supermarket. In this way, empty packaging will no longer be worthless, and will therefore end up less on our streets and in nature. Through a deposit system, manufacturer Coca-Cola can thus help ensure that its millions of bottles and cans no longer become litter. That would be a good resolution for the new year. Because it is the government and society that currently foot the bill for the waste and the millions-of-euros invoice for the clean-up. That bill, which ultimately ends up on the taxpayer's plate, amounts to 103 million euros annually in Flanders.

Back to sender

The action is a new step in the #BackToSender campaign by environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux. This campaign started on 8 November around a simple idea: people who find a can or bottle in nature or on the street send it back to the manufacturer. This can be done online via a photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #BackToSender, as well as via good old post.

That campaign immediately went viral: on Twitter alone, more than 4,500 products were sent back online by enthusiastic twitterers in just 2 weeks. People have already sent back 912 beverage packages by post.

“Today we are delivering the Christmas wish to Coca-Cola on behalf of all those #BackToSender participants. They are asking for the effective solution of a deposit return scheme so that cans and plastic bottles no longer end up on the street, in nature or in the sea,” says Recycling Netwerk.

But Coca-Cola and other beverage producers are lobbying against the introduction of deposits. The American multinational keeps its options open, but at the same time sends the non-profit organisation Fost Plus and the Belgian food industry federation FEVIA forward to scare people and shopkeepers about deposit schemes.

Yet 66% of Belgians want a deposit return scheme, according to a survey by Test-Achats. “That is why we set up this broad #BackToSender campaign. This way, customers can show manufacturers that they want a deposit return system to reduce litter,” the two environmental organisations say.

In 2004, Gents MilieuFront already organised an action in which dozens of GMF volunteers tennissed litter over the fence of Coca-Cola in Zwijnaarde.

Coca-Cola Enterprises in Ghent received a striking delivery on Monday morning. Santa Claus personally delivered 1,224 cola cans and bottles collected from litter to the manager of Coca-Cola.

With this action, campaigners from the environmental organisations Recycling Netwerk Benelux and Gents MilieuFront together asked the American multinational to cease its backroom opposition to the introduction of a deposit return scheme and to speak out in favour of deposits on cans and plastic bottles.

First, the answer from the CEO of the branch in Ghent was 'yes', then from Coca-Cola Belgium it officially became 'not no' to a deposit return scheme. In any case, Coca-Cola is leaving the door ajar for the introduction of deposits on beverage packaging. Opinions are shifting.

Coca-Cola's new stance also demonstrates that not all companies stand behind Fevia's hard "njet". This should be the signal for Minister Joke Schauvliege and the Flemish Bourgeois Government to introduce a deposit return scheme. The people want it. And Coca-Cola says they are not against it.

from AVS

Read also De Standaard: “Coca-Cola says not no to deposits”

Christmas wishes

In the run-up to the Christmas period, Coca-Cola is touring around again with its Coca-Cola Christmas Truck. A good moment to start the conversation about deposits. The largest waste intermunicipal company in Flanders, Limburg.net, addressed the Coca-Cola staff with cans and bottles from litter. Limburg.net is also a member of the Deposit Alliance, which by now counts more than 47 partners from Flanders and the Netherlands.

from TV Limburg.

Deposit return scheme

We simply want to convey a powerful Christmas wish from many people. The beverage multinational must speak out positively in favour of a 'money-back' system when you return bottles or cans to your local retailer or supermarket. In this way, empty packaging will no longer be worthless, and will therefore end up less on our streets and in nature. Through a deposit system, manufacturer Coca-Cola can thus help ensure that its millions of bottles and cans no longer become litter. That would be a good resolution for the new year. Because it is the government and society that currently foot the bill for the waste and the millions-of-euros invoice for the clean-up. That bill, which ultimately ends up on the taxpayer's plate, amounts to 103 million euros annually in Flanders.

Back to sender

The action is a new step in the #BackToSender campaign by environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux. This campaign started on 8 November around a simple idea: people who find a can or bottle in nature or on the street send it back to the manufacturer. This can be done online via a photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #BackToSender, as well as via good old post.

That campaign immediately went viral: on Twitter alone, more than 4,500 products were sent back online by enthusiastic twitterers in just 2 weeks. People have already sent back 912 beverage packages by post.

“Today we are delivering the Christmas wish to Coca-Cola on behalf of all those #BackToSender participants. They are asking for the effective solution of a deposit return scheme so that cans and plastic bottles no longer end up on the street, in nature or in the sea,” says Recycling Netwerk.

But Coca-Cola and other beverage producers are lobbying against the introduction of deposits. The American multinational keeps its options open, but at the same time sends the non-profit organisation Fost Plus and the Belgian food industry federation FEVIA forward to scare people and shopkeepers about deposit schemes.

Yet 66% of Belgians want a deposit return scheme, according to a survey by Test-Achats. “That is why we set up this broad #BackToSender campaign. This way, customers can show manufacturers that they want a deposit return system to reduce litter,” the two environmental organisations say.

In 2004, Gents MilieuFront already organised an action in which dozens of GMF volunteers tennissed litter over the fence of Coca-Cola in Zwijnaarde.