Growing criticism of Waste Fund's plans to keep empty cans out of supermarkets

The VNG also sent this letter to State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Vivianne Heijnen.

“There is more and more public resistance against the Afvalfonds plan. And rightly so. Do not make it more difficult than it already is. We have a functioning deposit return system that collects plastic bottles and glass beer bottles. Just collect the cans the same way you collect all other deposit packaging: in supermarkets,” says environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk to the Afvalfonds.

The VNG also calls for the collection of cans to be organised within the chain. It rightly points to the scarce public space. The VNG expects the collection points to attract litter. Residents will find this annoying. It will cost the municipalities extra clean-up work. In its letter, VNG again indicates that it is in favour of the deposit on cans measure. However, the VNG finds the design of the system as proposed by the Afvalfonds “undesirable” and “unfeasible”.

Customer-unfriendly

Photo credits: Victoriano Izquierdo

When the cabinet decided on 3 February 2021 to also introduce a deposit on cans, everyone expected that consumers would simply be able to return them to the same place as the bottles: at the points of sale. But about 11 months later, the Afvalfonds came up with an unnecessarily complex and consumer-unfriendly plan. Afvalfonds wants to collect the cans outside of supermarkets: in so-called 'circular hubs' in public spaces.

There were many critical reactions and questions, including from the environmental movement, MPs, Consumentenbond and Metaal Verpakkingen Nederland. Partly for this reason, environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk requested a review of the Afvalfonds plan from international research consultancy Eunomia. The results will be made public soon.

Questions in the House of Representatives

Members of Parliament are also asking more and more questions about the Afvalfonds' approach. There are less than 11 months left until the legal deadline of 31 December 2022. Therefore, the House of Representatives is asking the Afvalfonds to provide an explanation. This will happen in a technical briefing in the Circular Economy Committee on 10 March, followed by a round table discussion with multiple stakeholders.

“(It is) important that there is a deposit system that actually works, so that litter is prevented. But the current plan to collect deposit cans in public spaces is meeting with increasing resistance. On 10 March we have a round table discussion about this,” said MP for the Party for the Animals Eva van Esch.

Recycling Netwerk concludes: “We hope that by then the Afvalfonds will have shelved the idea of deposit return machines in public spaces, and can guarantee to the House of Representatives that the legal collection target will be achieved with a logical, efficient and customer-friendly system, namely collection in the supermarkets themselves”.

In the media

AfvalOnline, Municipalities find Afvalfonds deposit plan “practically unfeasible”, 24 February 2022

Adformatie, ‘National Clean-up Day is a fig leaf for failing retail and FMCG’, 25 February 2022

The VNG also sent this letter to State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Vivianne Heijnen.

“There is more and more public resistance against the Afvalfonds plan. And rightly so. Do not make it more difficult than it already is. We have a functioning deposit return system that collects plastic bottles and glass beer bottles. Just collect the cans the same way you collect all other deposit packaging: in supermarkets,” says environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk to the Afvalfonds.

The VNG also calls for the collection of cans to be organised within the chain. It rightly points to the scarce public space. The VNG expects the collection points to attract litter. Residents will find this annoying. It will cost the municipalities extra clean-up work. In its letter, VNG again indicates that it is in favour of the deposit on cans measure. However, the VNG finds the design of the system as proposed by the Afvalfonds “undesirable” and “unfeasible”.

Customer-unfriendly

Photo credits: Victoriano Izquierdo

When the cabinet decided on 3 February 2021 to also introduce a deposit on cans, everyone expected that consumers would simply be able to return them to the same place as the bottles: at the points of sale. But about 11 months later, the Afvalfonds came up with an unnecessarily complex and consumer-unfriendly plan. Afvalfonds wants to collect the cans outside of supermarkets: in so-called 'circular hubs' in public spaces.

There were many critical reactions and questions, including from the environmental movement, MPs, Consumentenbond and Metaal Verpakkingen Nederland. Partly for this reason, environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk requested a review of the Afvalfonds plan from international research consultancy Eunomia. The results will be made public soon.

Questions in the House of Representatives

Members of Parliament are also asking more and more questions about the Afvalfonds' approach. There are less than 11 months left until the legal deadline of 31 December 2022. Therefore, the House of Representatives is asking the Afvalfonds to provide an explanation. This will happen in a technical briefing in the Circular Economy Committee on 10 March, followed by a round table discussion with multiple stakeholders.

“(It is) important that there is a deposit system that actually works, so that litter is prevented. But the current plan to collect deposit cans in public spaces is meeting with increasing resistance. On 10 March we have a round table discussion about this,” said MP for the Party for the Animals Eva van Esch.

Recycling Netwerk concludes: “We hope that by then the Afvalfonds will have shelved the idea of deposit return machines in public spaces, and can guarantee to the House of Representatives that the legal collection target will be achieved with a logical, efficient and customer-friendly system, namely collection in the supermarkets themselves”.

In the media

AfvalOnline, Municipalities find Afvalfonds deposit plan “practically unfeasible”, 24 February 2022

Adformatie, ‘National Clean-up Day is a fig leaf for failing retail and FMCG’, 25 February 2022