Mop the floor with the tap running

18 September 2017 We genuinely find it beautiful to see people participating in Keep It Clean Day and the annual World Cleanup Day. These actions mobilise dedicated volunteers who have the best intentions of getting their neighbourhoods and nature clean.

Still, we have mixed feelings about the communication that Nederland Schoon does around these actions. Nederland Schoon is a foundation funded by the packaging industry. This foundation presents the clean-up actions as the ultimate solution to litter.

Nederland Schoon runs awareness campaigns, but stays far away from measures that keep the living environment clean preventatively and structurally. Coca-Cola sits on the Supervisory Board of Nederland Schoon. It makes us suspect that the multinational is only participating here for the sake of its image.

Responsibility

After all, beverage producers like Coca-Cola are responsible for the many empty cans and bottles lying around. Over the last decade, the entire food industry has been heavily focused on on-the-go consumption. They distribute 2.7 billion single-use cans and bottles to Dutch consumers annually.

But the beverage industry takes no responsibility for what happens to the packaging after use. The message is: "Here is your drink, drink it, what you do with the empty bottle afterwards is of no concern to us." But that is how up to 156 million cans and 98 million bottles end up in litter every year. They leave cleaning this up to municipalities, and to volunteers who pick up litter.

With the tap of more than 5,000 bottles and cans per minute wide open, it actually comes as little surprise that so much rubbish is lying around. Clean-up actions are well-intentioned. But unfortunately, they usually remain a matter of mopping with the tap running.

Prevention is better than cure

Furthermore, Coca-Cola and other beverage producers oppose the introduction of a deposit system. They only do this because they consider their profit margins more important than the living environment.

A deposit system is the most effective and preventive tool against the share of cans and bottles, which make up 40 per cent of litter. A new study, commissioned by outgoing State Secretary Sharon Dijksma, concludes that a deposit system decimates the amount of litter. Norway and Germany show that with deposits, an impressive 95 per cent of cans and bottles return to the supermarket. In the Netherlands, this would reduce municipal spending on cleaning up litter by up to 80 million euros per year. That is good news for municipal budgets. And therefore good news for every taxpayer.

Good intentions

That is why we have mixed feelings today.

We think it is wonderful that people want to make their living environment cleaner as part of Keep It Clean Day and World Cleanup Day. A clean living environment is also our mission as an environmental organisation.

But as long as millions of beverage containers are sold that are worthless when empty, more rubbish will continue to accumulate.

It is therefore highly regrettable that Coca-Cola Netherlands, through its seat on the Supervisory Board of Nederland Schoon, is fully calling for mopping, but at the same time, together with other beverage producers (with its opposition to deposits), is keeping the tap wide open.

Coca-Cola Scotland does things differently

Coca-Cola Scotland proves that things can be done differently, having dropped its opposition to deposits earlier this year. This led Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to announce last week that a deposit scheme will be introduced in Scotland.

You can be sure that fewer clean-up actions will be needed in Scotland soon. Because bottles and cans account for 40 per cent of litter. Just like in Germany and Norway, which have had deposit schemes for years, there will be no more cans or bottles lying around in Scotland. And that is all year round. In this way, we hope that the thousands of volunteers out and about today will be rewarded with a clean environment all year round.