Oh, oh, The Hague, why aren't you doing anything about it?

Bottles and cans on the street: are you sick of them too? The first few warm days of spring were already enough to create a substantial mountain of litter. It has already earned the Vondelpark the nickname 'Vondel rubbish dump'. But even on less sunny days, the litter continues to pile up. Some bottles and cans end up in the environment and in the sea, causing significant damage.

In The Hague too, the beautiful city behind the dunes, drink bottles are frequently found in the gutter. But the reality has not yet fully hit home in the neatly swept Binnenhof. For years now, the deposit on large PET bottles has been under threat of being abolished. But as long as that decision has not yet been made, a deposit should still be properly charged. At the moment, however, that obligation is being neglected. The deposit on beer bottles is also not adequately regulated.

Bottles, cans and bags

Fortunately, we are starting to see the tide turn in this discussion. In the newly elected Water Boards (Waterschappen), for instance, deposits are seen as an excellent way to prevent bottles and cans from ending up in surface water. We are also hearing voices from national politics and the business sector suggesting that the focus is shifting from abolishing deposits on large bottles to introducing deposits on bottles and cans. Furthermore, the handing out of free plastic bags will be banned as of 1 January 2016. In this way, the issue of plastic bags is being tackled more firmly than by previous governments.

This pleases us. The firm approach to plastic bags and the levying of deposits on beverage packaging is also the direction being taken increasingly across the globe. Developing litter and the issue of plastic soup are a cause of concern for everyone, leading to the deployment of such simple yet highly successful measures. It would be strange if the Netherlands — a pioneer in many areas — were to blindly follow the wrong path on this particular issue.

The Hague

In The Hague, the battle is not yet won. Some parties do not yet dare to take the step towards deposits on bottles and cans. This also applies to State Secretary Wilma Mansveld for Infrastructure and the Environment. But perhaps they can be persuaded by you. Via the website statiegeld.help, you can send an appeal to Wilma Mansveld and various members of the House of Representatives to finally deal once and for all with all those cans and bottles in our litter. The Hague, make a good decision, introduce a compulsory deposit on cans and small plastic bottles!

Bottles and cans on the street: are you sick of them too? The first few warm days of spring were already enough to create a substantial mountain of litter. It has already earned the Vondelpark the nickname 'Vondel rubbish dump'. But even on less sunny days, the litter continues to pile up. Some bottles and cans end up in the environment and in the sea, causing significant damage.

In The Hague too, the beautiful city behind the dunes, drink bottles are frequently found in the gutter. But the reality has not yet fully hit home in the neatly swept Binnenhof. For years now, the deposit on large PET bottles has been under threat of being abolished. But as long as that decision has not yet been made, a deposit should still be properly charged. At the moment, however, that obligation is being neglected. The deposit on beer bottles is also not adequately regulated.

Bottles, cans and bags

Fortunately, we are starting to see the tide turn in this discussion. In the newly elected Water Boards (Waterschappen), for instance, deposits are seen as an excellent way to prevent bottles and cans from ending up in surface water. We are also hearing voices from national politics and the business sector suggesting that the focus is shifting from abolishing deposits on large bottles to introducing deposits on bottles and cans. Furthermore, the handing out of free plastic bags will be banned as of 1 January 2016. In this way, the issue of plastic bags is being tackled more firmly than by previous governments.

This pleases us. The firm approach to plastic bags and the levying of deposits on beverage packaging is also the direction being taken increasingly across the globe. Developing litter and the issue of plastic soup are a cause of concern for everyone, leading to the deployment of such simple yet highly successful measures. It would be strange if the Netherlands — a pioneer in many areas — were to blindly follow the wrong path on this particular issue.

The Hague

In The Hague, the battle is not yet won. Some parties do not yet dare to take the step towards deposits on bottles and cans. This also applies to State Secretary Wilma Mansveld for Infrastructure and the Environment. But perhaps they can be persuaded by you. Via the website statiegeld.help, you can send an appeal to Wilma Mansveld and various members of the House of Representatives to finally deal once and for all with all those cans and bottles in our litter. The Hague, make a good decision, introduce a compulsory deposit on cans and small plastic bottles!