Introduction of deposits the only possible conclusion from Rijkswaterstaat report

This is shown by the report from Rijkswaterstaat that Stientje van Veldhoven, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, delivered to the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. The companies involved have failed to reduce plastic bottles and cans in litter. With this result, there will be a deposit on plastic bottles. We call on the House of Representatives and the government to also include drinks cans in the scheme.

Plastic bottles

This is the fourth measurement round in the monitoring of plastic bottles in litter. The measurement rounds form part of the process for introducing deposits. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven outlined this process on 10 March 2018 in a parliamentary letter. The companies involved that were still resisting were given a very last chance of two years to drastically reduce pollution from plastic bottles by at least 70 per cent, and by recycling 90% of the bottles.

The report published on Wednesday clearly shows that the companies involved have failed to achieve the requested reduction of plastic bottles in litter without a deposit scheme. On the contrary, there is even an increase. "For the whole of 2019, the average was 798 small bottles per measurement round, representing an increase of 7% compared to the average over the years 2016/2017", writes Rijkswaterstaat on the first page of Monitoring small plastic bottles in litter Results second half of 2019 (PDF).

In the parliamentary letter of 27 September 2019, the State Secretary declared "to bring forward the decision-making moment on the introduction of a deposit scheme to spring 2020 at the latest. I will make a decision based on the measurement figures of litter then available and the report on the 90% recycling target. (...) The measurements [of the number of bottles in litter] over the second half of 2019 will be decisive for this. Postponing the introduction is not an option for me".

Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux: "The figures from Rijkswaterstaat now clearly show that companies have failed to achieve the requested reduction of plastic bottles in litter. What is more, the number of bottles has even increased compared to the reference years 2016-17. The conclusion of this decisive measurement round is therefore that the State Secretary will activate the legislation already prepared, and in early 2021 there will be a deposit on small bottles in the Netherlands."

Cans

Regarding the number of cans in litter, the RWS monitoring shows an even stronger increase. "Based on the six measurements in 2019, the average number of cans per measurement round was 2,009. This is an increase of 16% compared to 2016/2017", writes RWS.

The political will to also introduce a deposit on cans has increased over the past year. The House of Representatives adopted two motions on 17 October 2019 (motion by Paternotte and motion by Dik-Faber). The motion by Paternotte "requests the government to set comparable targets for cans (as in beverage packaging) for the autumn of 2021". The motion by Dik-Faber "requests the government to initiate the same process for cans as was done for small plastic bottles, including preparing legislative measures for the introduction of deposits by 2022".

"The RWS report shows that there are more than twice as many cans as bottles in litter. 78% of Dutch people and almost all Dutch municipalities also want a deposit on cans. We call on the government and the House of Representatives to also make a final decision in the short term to introduce a deposit on cans. We ask the Dutch business community to support politics in this," says Recycling Netwerk.

A written consultation of the Circular Economy Committee is scheduled in the House of Representatives today, 16 April.

Related articles:

AD, Cabinet can no longer avoid it: deposit on plastic bottles, 16 April 2020

AfvalOnline, More bottles in litter: expansion of deposit scheme closer, 16 April 2020

Joop, Even more plastic bottles in litter, deposit inevitable, 16 April 2020

Het Parool, After analysis of litter, deposit on plastic bottles seems inevitable, 17 April 2020

Distrifood, Deposit on small bottles seems inevitable, 20 April 2020

This is shown by the report from Rijkswaterstaat that Stientje van Veldhoven, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, delivered to the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. The companies involved have failed to reduce plastic bottles and cans in litter. With this result, there will be a deposit on plastic bottles. We call on the House of Representatives and the government to also include drinks cans in the scheme.

Plastic bottles

This is the fourth measurement round in the monitoring of plastic bottles in litter. The measurement rounds form part of the process for introducing deposits. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven outlined this process on 10 March 2018 in a parliamentary letter. The companies involved that were still resisting were given a very last chance of two years to drastically reduce pollution from plastic bottles by at least 70 per cent, and by recycling 90% of the bottles.

The report published on Wednesday clearly shows that the companies involved have failed to achieve the requested reduction of plastic bottles in litter without a deposit scheme. On the contrary, there is even an increase. "For the whole of 2019, the average was 798 small bottles per measurement round, representing an increase of 7% compared to the average over the years 2016/2017", writes Rijkswaterstaat on the first page of Monitoring small plastic bottles in litter Results second half of 2019 (PDF).

In the parliamentary letter of 27 September 2019, the State Secretary declared "to bring forward the decision-making moment on the introduction of a deposit scheme to spring 2020 at the latest. I will make a decision based on the measurement figures of litter then available and the report on the 90% recycling target. (...) The measurements [of the number of bottles in litter] over the second half of 2019 will be decisive for this. Postponing the introduction is not an option for me".

Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux: "The figures from Rijkswaterstaat now clearly show that companies have failed to achieve the requested reduction of plastic bottles in litter. What is more, the number of bottles has even increased compared to the reference years 2016-17. The conclusion of this decisive measurement round is therefore that the State Secretary will activate the legislation already prepared, and in early 2021 there will be a deposit on small bottles in the Netherlands."

Cans

The political will to also introduce a deposit on cans has increased over the past year. The House of Representatives adopted two motions on 17 October 2019 (motion by Paternotte and motion by Dik-Faber). The motion by Paternotte "requests the government to set comparable targets for cans (as in beverage packaging) for the autumn of 2021". The motion by Dik-Faber "requests the government to initiate the same process for cans as was done for small plastic bottles, including preparing legislative measures for the introduction of deposits by 2022".

"The RWS report shows that there are more than twice as many cans as bottles in litter. 78% of Dutch people and almost all Dutch municipalities also want a deposit on cans. We call on the government and the House of Representatives to also make a final decision in the short term to introduce a deposit on cans. We ask the Dutch business community to support politics in this," says Recycling Netwerk.

A written consultation of the Circular Economy Committee is scheduled in the House of Representatives today, 16 April.

Related articles: AD, Cabinet can no longer avoid it: deposit on plastic bottles, 16 April 2020 AfvalOnline, More bottles in litter: expansion of deposit scheme closer, 16 April 2020 Joop, Even more plastic bottles in litter, deposit inevitable, 16 April 2020 Het Parool, After analysis of litter, deposit on plastic bottles seems inevitable, 17 April 2020 Distrifood, Deposit on small bottles seems inevitable, 20 April 2020