Environmental movement: draft regulations on deposits must be improved

For a deposit system to work properly, the government must also legally define the collection obligation of supermarkets within a deposit system. The regulations must not be limited to small plastic bottles. They must also include a deposit on cans and other beverage packaging.

This is what the 5 environmental organisations Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Natuur & Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, the Plastic Soup Surfer and Greenpeace write in their joint Viewpoint on the draft regulations on deposits. Stichting De Noordzee also supports this viewpoint. The draft regulations were developed by State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven (D66) and were published in the Staatscourant on 4 March.

On Thursday 11 April, the General Consultation on Circular Economy will discuss the deposit file in the House of Representatives.

The environmental organisations state that the current wording of the draft regulations is not sufficient to guarantee a successful and widely supported introduction of deposits. The draft regulations fall short on the following points and need to be adapted:

1) The collection obligation for points of sale must be part of the regulations

2) The regulations must not be limited upfront to small plastic bottles and only a few beverages

3) The regulations must also include (the option of) a deposit on cans and other beverage packaging

4) The responsibility must lie with both producers and retailers.

More info: Read the full text of the Viewpoint on draft deposit regulations (PDF) here, which the environmental organisations have submitted to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management