DISPOSABLE BOTTLES AT LEAST QUINTUPLED IN TEN YEARS

Exactly ten years ago, environmental organisations campaigned against the growing number of disposable plastic bottles being put on the market. And for the introduction of a deposit on these bottles. Government and the business community agreed on all kinds of measures and obligations with each other just to avoid introducing that deposit. Now ten years later, not much has come of those agreements. And the number of small plastic bottles has grown to at least five times as many.

In March 2000, Milieudefensie and Stichting Natuur en Milieu campaigned at Coca-Cola, the largest producer of small bottles. While the number of small plastic bottles in 2000 was still 150 million, the number entering the market this year is between 700 and 900 million bottles. With a total weight of around 20 kilotonnes. Strikingly: in that same period, the number of cans actually decreased.

Deposit

More than ever, a deposit on these small bottles seems necessary. Especially because the agreements made not to introduce this expansion are repeatedly not being met. First, twelve years ago, there was the voluntary agreement in the second Packaging Covenant to voluntarily limit the quantity of bottles. In 2001, the number of small bottles was supposed to have grown by a maximum of only 2 per cent. Already in 2000, the number of bottles had gone far beyond that by 10 per cent.

Another agreement between government and business was made eight years ago. Instead of expanding the deposit to small bottles, 80 per cent of litter was to be cleared up. That did not succeed either. In 2006, the Packaging Decree laid down the obligation that 55 per cent of small plastic bottles must be collected separately. Recent research by the Recycling Network into the separate collection of plastics shows that this is also failing. However, the industry has been working in recent years to make the bottles lighter, requiring less plastic raw material for the bottles.