Massive support for deposits

Environmental movement pleased with clear positions.

The discussion about deposits on plastic bottles is entering a new phase. The NVRD, the branch association for waste collection and cleaning, unequivocally chooses to extend deposits to small plastic bottles as well. The NVRD position follows research by TNS-NIPO which concludes that there is massive support for extending deposits. The environmental movement is pleased with this and hopes that a decision on deposits on small bottles will not be postponed for the fifth time in fifteen years.

The results of the study, which is representative for the Netherlands, show that in the Netherlands too, support for deposits on plastic bottles remains high: 73 percent of Dutch people think that abolishing deposits on large plastic beverage packaging is a bad thing. In fact, support for extending the current deposit system is also high. Around 70 percent vote in favour of extending it to small plastic beverage packaging, for which no deposit scheme currently applies. Only 12% are against this extension of deposits.

The NVRD is urging the House of Representatives to introduce deposits on small plastic bottles and to prevent the abolition of existing deposit systems. The TNS-NIPO research report was presented to a delegation of the House of Representatives Committee for Infrastructure and the Environment (I M) on Tuesday 8 February. The report shows that for all political parties, a large majority of their voters are in favour of such an extension of deposits (download the report here).

Recycling Netwerk, which advocates for environmentally conscious waste policy on behalf of Dutch environmental organisations, is delighted with this clear support for “the best approach to collection and recycling”. Recycling Netwerk points out that deposits on plastic bottles ensure 98% collection and 100% good recycling, something that the mixed collection of plastic packaging cannot match.

Read our brief review here, in which we compare collection via deposit systems with separate household collection as it currently takes place.

The question is whether supermarkets and soft drink producers will cease their opposition to the expansion of deposits once their costs are sufficiently compensated. The obstructive power of these companies is great. In the United States and Germany, there was much delay in the expansion of deposit systems due to the many legal processes that were conducted. Only last week, the anti-deposit campaign in the Northern Territory of Australia was described by Environment Minister Karl Hampton as cynical and misleading (read the article in question here). In doing so, it was pointed out that voluntary collection systems achieve too few results and that deposits can achieve excellent results alongside collection systems.

Recycling Netwerk hopes that despite this, the necessary progress can still be made. Chairman Robbert van Duin: “We hope that after fifteen years of consultations and broken agreements, the Dutch government will now finally dare to choose the solution that everyone knows is the right one. Deposits on plastic bottles ensure by far the highest response and the best recycling at the lowest cost. And almost everyone wants it.”

This news item was also sent by us as a press release.

Environmental movement pleased with clear positions.The discussion about deposits on plastic bottles is entering a new phase. The NVRD, the branch association for waste collection and cleaning, unequivocally chooses to extend deposits to small plastic bottles as well. The NVRD position follows research by TNS-NIPO which concludes that there is massive support for extending deposits. The environmental movement is pleased with this and hopes that a decision on deposits on small bottles will not be postponed for the fifth time in fifteen years.

The results of the study, which is representative for the Netherlands, show that in the Netherlands too, support for deposits on plastic bottles remains high: 73 percent of Dutch people think that abolishing deposits on large plastic beverage packaging is a bad thing. In fact, support for extending the current deposit system is also high. Around 70 percent vote in favour of extending it to small plastic beverage packaging, for which no deposit scheme currently applies. Only 12% are against this extension of deposits. The NVRD is urging the House of Representatives to introduce deposits on small plastic bottles and to prevent the abolition of existing deposit systems. The TNS-NIPO research report was presented to a delegation of the House of Representatives Committee for Infrastructure and the Environment (I M) on Tuesday 8 February. The report shows that for all political parties, a large majority of their voters are in favour of such an extension of deposits (download the report here). Recycling Netwerk, which advocates for environmentally conscious waste policy on behalf of Dutch environmental organisations, is delighted with this clear support for “the best approach to collection and recycling”. Recycling Netwerk points out that deposits on plastic bottles ensure 98% collection and 100% good recycling, something that the mixed collection of plastic packaging cannot match. Read our brief review here, in which we compare collection via deposit systems with separate household collection as it currently takes place. The question is whether supermarkets and soft drink producers will cease their opposition to the expansion of deposits once their costs are sufficiently compensated. The obstructive power of these companies is great. In the United States and Germany, there was much delay in the expansion of deposit systems due to the many legal processes that were conducted. Only last week, the anti-deposit campaign in the Northern Territory of Australia was described by Environment Minister Karl Hampton as cynical and misleading (read the article in question here). In doing so, it was pointed out that voluntary collection systems achieve too few results and that deposits can achieve excellent results alongside collection systems. Recycling Netwerk hopes that despite this, the necessary progress can still be made. Chairman Robbert van Duin: “We hope that after fifteen years of consultations and broken agreements, the Dutch government will now finally dare to choose the solution that everyone knows is the right one. Deposits on plastic bottles ensure by far the highest response and the best recycling at the lowest cost. And almost everyone wants it.”This news item was also sent by us as a press release.