Collecting deposit cans outside of supermarkets is a bad idea

Joint press release from Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee

On 3 February 2021, State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven decided that a deposit will also be introduced on cans starting 31 December 2022. Yesterday, the business community came up with a plan not to collect these cans through supermarkets. A very bad plan according to various environmental organisations. "All beverage packaging with a deposit is collected via supermarkets, except for cans? This is not a serious proposal," responds Rob Buurman, director of Recycling Netwerk Benelux.

On Tuesday 6 July 2021, announced the supermarket branch organisation CBL and the food industry umbrella organisation FNLI jointly that they will launch a tender for a nationwide "collection system for cans outside the supermarket". Buurman: "Devising and setting up such an entirely new system, on top of the current deposit system, is unnecessarily complicated, cumbersome and much more expensive than adding the cans to the existing system in supermarkets. It is impossible to achieve within the legal deadline. And the consumer will no longer understand it."

Therefore, Recycling Netwerk Benelux, together with Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee, is calling for a strong response from the State Secretary and the House of Representatives so that supermarkets do not escape their responsibility.

Yet another delaying tactic

With this entirely new system, the companies involved will not meet the legal obligation under the deposit legislation on time. For example, the national collection of cans via vending machines in public spaces requires permits in all Dutch municipalities. It is unrealistic to think that these permits will be granted on time.

"When the supermarkets run out of time due to their own complicated procedure, they will use this as a pretext to request another postponement of the deposit on cans. This is therefore yet another delaying tactic, as we have seen so many times before in the deposit dossier," predicts Rob Buurman.

Well-functioning systems have collection via supermarkets

The first phase of the deposit expansion, small bottles, started last week on 1 July. The enthusiasm in society for this popular, effective and much-needed environmental measure is visible everywhere. It is clear that people are looking forward to the cans, which will have a deposit as of 31 December 2022.

By far the majority of plastic bottles and cans, around 80 per cent, are sold in supermarkets. It is therefore logical that supermarkets have a responsibility for collecting them. Abroad, supermarkets collect around 90 per cent of deposit packaging. In almost all other countries with deposit systems, such as Germany, Norway or Lithuania, a return obligation is therefore enshrined in law. In Scotland too, where a deposit will be introduced from 1 July 2022, a return obligation is anchored in legislation.

In the Netherlands, in the old legislation, the Packaging Management Decree, a return obligation for supermarkets was provided for under Article 12. Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Natuur & Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, the Plastic Soup Surfer, Greenpeace and Stichting De Noordzee, have repeatedly stressed that a return obligation for supermarkets is a crucial component of a well-functioning deposit system, and were supported in this by various municipalities, the Consumers' Association (Consumentenbond) and Metal Packaging Netherlands (MVN).

In negotiations with the business community, however, the government decided to scrap this return obligation for points of sale, meaning that supermarkets can now refuse to act as a collection point.

The ball is in the court of politicians and beverage producers

"For decades, the business community has wrongly claimed that deposit systems are "extremely expensive". But now supermarkets themselves are coming up with plans for a cumbersome and expensive system, with the intention of frustrating the introduction of a deposit on cans. It is a cynical attempt at sabotage," says director Rob Buurman of Recycling Netwerk Benelux.

Major beverage producers such as Heineken and Coca-Cola should explicitly speak out against the plan to collect outside of supermarkets. Besides consumers, they have the most to lose here: after all, they have to finance the collection system and they are obliged to achieve a target of 90% separate collection.

"We also call on the supermarkets themselves: do not make it harder than it is, and simply collect the cans at the end of next year, in the same place where you already collect plastic bottles: in the supermarket," say environmental organisations Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee in a joint press release.

Joint press release from Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee

On 3 February 2021, State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven decided that a deposit will also be introduced on cans starting 31 December 2022. Yesterday, the business community came up with a plan not to collect these cans through supermarkets. A very bad plan according to various environmental organisations. "All beverage packaging with a deposit is collected via supermarkets, except for cans? This is not a serious proposal," responds Rob Buurman, director of Recycling Netwerk Benelux.

On Tuesday 6 July 2021, announced the supermarket branch organisation CBL and the food industry umbrella organisation FNLI jointly that they will launch a tender for a nationwide "collection system for cans outside the supermarket". Buurman: "Devising and setting up such an entirely new system, on top of the current deposit system, is unnecessarily complicated, cumbersome and much more expensive than adding the cans to the existing system in supermarkets. It is impossible to achieve within the legal deadline. And the consumer will no longer understand it."

Therefore, Recycling Netwerk Benelux, together with Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee, is calling for a strong response from the State Secretary and the House of Representatives so that supermarkets do not escape their responsibility.

Yet another delaying tactic

With this entirely new system, the companies involved will not meet the legal obligation under the deposit legislation on time. For example, the national collection of cans via vending machines in public spaces requires permits in all Dutch municipalities. It is unrealistic to think that these permits will be granted on time.

"When the supermarkets run out of time due to their own complicated procedure, they will use this as a pretext to request another postponement of the deposit on cans. This is therefore yet another delaying tactic, as we have seen so many times before in the deposit dossier," predicts Rob Buurman.

Well-functioning systems have collection via supermarkets

The first phase of the deposit expansion, small bottles, started last week on 1 July. The enthusiasm in society for this popular, effective and much-needed environmental measure is visible everywhere. It is clear that people are looking forward to the cans, which will have a deposit as of 31 December 2022.

By far the majority of plastic bottles and cans, around 80 per cent, are sold in supermarkets. It is therefore logical that supermarkets have a responsibility for collecting them. Abroad, supermarkets collect around 90 per cent of deposit packaging. In almost all other countries with deposit systems, such as Germany, Norway or Lithuania, a return obligation is therefore enshrined in law. In Scotland too, where a deposit will be introduced from 1 July 2022, a return obligation is anchored in legislation.

In the Netherlands, in the old legislation, the Packaging Management Decree, a return obligation for supermarkets was provided for under Article 12. Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Natuur & Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, the Plastic Soup Surfer, Greenpeace and Stichting De Noordzee, have repeatedly stressed that a return obligation for supermarkets is a crucial component of a well-functioning deposit system, and were supported in this by various municipalities, the Consumers' Association (Consumentenbond) and Metal Packaging Netherlands (MVN).

In negotiations with the business community, however, the government decided to scrap this return obligation for points of sale, meaning that supermarkets can now refuse to act as a collection point.

The ball is in the court of politicians and beverage producers

"For decades, the business community has wrongly claimed that deposit systems are "extremely expensive". But now supermarkets themselves are coming up with plans for a cumbersome and expensive system, with the intention of frustrating the introduction of a deposit on cans. It is a cynical attempt at sabotage," says director Rob Buurman of Recycling Netwerk Benelux.

Major beverage producers such as Heineken and Coca-Cola should explicitly speak out against the plan to collect outside of supermarkets. Besides consumers, they have the most to lose here: after all, they have to finance the collection system and they are obliged to achieve a target of 90% separate collection.

"We also call on the supermarkets themselves: do not make it harder than it is, and simply collect the cans at the end of next year, in the same place where you already collect plastic bottles: in the supermarket," say environmental organisations Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Plastic Soup Surfer, Plastic Soup Foundation, Greenpeace Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu and Stichting De Noordzee in a joint press release.

The government is also called to action. State Secretary Van Veldhoven made a decision introducing deposits, in the first phase for plastic bottles and in the second phase for cans. It would be a stain on that result if the legislation proves not to be robust enough to prevent new delaying tactics. "We call on the State Secretary to take measures as soon as possible to prevent delays in the introduction of deposits on cans," the environmental organisations conclude in a joint press release.

In the media:

Distrifood: News ‘Yet another delaying tactic by supermarkets on deposits’, 7 July 2021

AfvalOnline, ‘Yet another delaying tactic in the deposit dossier’, 7 July 2021

Plastic Soup Foundation, Environmental organisations: collecting deposit cans outside of supermarkets is a bad idea, 7 July 2021

FoodBusiness.nl, Cans to be collected outside supermarkets in the future, 1 September 2021

Foodlog, Environmental organisations angry with supermarkets and manufacturers. Deposit collection of cans outside supermarkets is an ‘attempt at sabotage’, 7 July 2021

AfvalOnline, Yet another delaying tactic in the deposit dossier?, 14 September 2021

EenVandaag, Deposits on small plastic bottles: a good thing according to supermarkets, but it involves a huge amount of work, 8 September 2021

Distrifood, Deposits: Cabinet sets CBL deadline for alternative plan, 18 November 2021