Deposit Alliance asks Belgium to create the best deposit return system in the world

Under the slogan “ Deposit, Yes We Can! ”, dozens of municipalities and organisations are putting their names to that demand. In Belgium, deposit return systems (DRS) are the responsibility of the three regions: Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. The campaign therefore addresses three environment ministers: Zuhal Demir (Flanders, N-VA party), Céline Tellier (Wallonia, Ecolo), and Alain Maron (Brussels, Ecolo). “To win the battle against litter, consumers must certainly be able to get their deposit back in supermarkets and sales outlets. This right to a refund when returning empty cans and bottles to shops must be anchored in the deposit decrees,” says the Deposit Alliance. DRS in the Netherlands and Belgium Since 2017, the Deposit Alliance has been calling on the Dutch and Belgian governments to introduce deposits on cans and plastic bottles. The campaign achieved its first success in the Netherlands when the government introduced deposits on plastic bottles in July 2021. Dutch cans will get a deposit in April 2023. Meanwhile, the number of partners of the Deposit Alliance has grown spectacularly to 1,300 municipalities, companies and organisations. In Belgium, Walloon Environment Minister Céline Tellier (Ecolo) has been working on the concrete introduction of a deposit system since the beginning of this year. In Flanders, OVAM's litter measurement showed that the fight against cans and bottles in litter has failed in recent years: only half of the Flemish government's target was achieved. Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) therefore declared that a deposit return scheme is “inevitable” and “unavoidable”. She announced she wants a decision before the end of the year. The 5 characteristics of a successful deposit return system With the Deposit, Yes We Can! campaign, the partners of the Deposit Alliance encourage ministers to create the best deposit return system in the world. “In doing so, Belgium can adopt the best elements of existing foreign systems,” says the Deposit Alliance. The most successful deposit return systems have 5 crucial characteristics: 1. The right to a refund ensures that consumers get their money back at all sales outlets and supermarkets. Therefore, a take-back obligation for supermarkets and sales outlets of cans and bottles must be included in the legislation. 2. Deposits on all cans and plastic bottles up to and including 3 litres. The system is clearest for consumers if no exceptions are made based on the volume of the packaging. 3. Transparency of the deposit system and involvement of stakeholders from society. 4. A high enough deposit amount of at least 20 euro cents per packaging helps most to keep cans and bottles out of nature. The same amount is needed for small packaging, because they are ultimately the most common type of beverage packaging in litter. 5. Stepping stone to reuse. Last month, in its new proposal for a Packaging Regulation, the European Commission set stricter requirements for more reuse of beverage packaging. To move towards more reuse of beverage packaging, deposit return systems are needed in any case to get the packaging back to sales outlets clean and separated from other waste. This is already the case for some glass beer bottles in our supermarkets. “We urge the environment ministers to include these 5 success factors when designing the Belgian deposit return scheme. So that our Belgian DRS becomes maximally effective in the fight against cans and plastic bottles in litter,” the Deposit Alliance concludes.

Under the slogan “Deposit, Yes We Can!” dozens of municipalities and organisations are putting their names to that demand. In Belgium, deposit return schemes are the responsibility of the three regions: Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. The campaign therefore addresses three environment ministers: Zuhal Demir (Flanders, N-VA party), Céline Tellier (Wallonia, Ecolo), and Alain Maron (Brussels, Ecolo).

“To win the battle against litter, consumers must certainly be able to get their deposit back in supermarkets and sales outlets. This right to a refund when returning empty cans and bottles to shops must be anchored in the deposit decrees,” says the Deposit Alliance.

Deposits in the Netherlands and Belgium

Since 2017, the Deposit Alliance has been calling on the Dutch and Belgian governments to introduce deposits on cans and plastic bottles. The campaign achieved its first success in the Netherlands when the government introduced deposits on plastic bottles in July 2021. Dutch cans will get a deposit in April 2023. Meanwhile, the number of partners of the Deposit Alliance has grown spectacularly to 1,300 municipalities, companies and organisations.

In Belgium, Walloon Environment Minister Céline Tellier (Ecolo) has been working on the concrete introduction of a deposit system since the beginning of this year. In Flanders, OVAM's litter measurement showed that the fight against cans and bottles in litter has failed in recent years: only half of the Flemish government's target was achieved. Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) therefore declared that a deposit system is “inevitable” and “unavoidable”. She announced she wants a decision before the end of the year.

The 5 characteristics of a successful deposit return system

With the Deposit, Yes We Can! campaign, the partners of the Deposit Alliance encourage ministers to create the best deposit return system in the world. “In doing so, Belgium can adopt the best elements of existing foreign systems,” says the Deposit Alliance. The most successful deposit return systems have 5 crucial characteristics:

1. The right to a refund ensures that consumers get their money back at all sales outlets and supermarkets. Therefore, a take-back obligation for supermarkets and sales outlets of cans and bottles must be included in the legislation.

2. Deposits on all cans and plastic bottles up to and including 3 litres. The system is clearest for consumers if no exceptions are made based on the volume of the packaging.

3. Transparency of the deposit system and involvement of stakeholders from society.

4. A high enough deposit amount of at least 20 euro cents per packaging helps most to keep cans and bottles out of nature. The same amount is needed for small packaging, because they are ultimately the most common type of beverage packaging in litter.

5. Stepping stone to reuse. Last month, in its new proposal for a Packaging Regulation, the European Commission set stricter requirements for more reuse of beverage packaging. To move towards more reuse of beverage packaging, deposit return systems are needed in any case to get the packaging back to sales outlets clean and separated from other waste. This is already the case for some glass beer bottles in our supermarkets.

“We urge the environment ministers to include these 5 success factors when designing the Belgian deposit return scheme. So that our Belgian DRS becomes maximally effective in the fight against cans and plastic bottles in litter,” the Deposit Alliance concludes.