Plastics collection requires coordination

The environmental movement is asking the House of Representatives not only to decide that more plastic must be recycled, but also to ensure that plastic collection yields environmental benefits. The collection of plastic packaging waste is only useful if it leads to high-quality recycling on a large scale. This requires coordination to utilise all possibilities. Therefore, the environmental movement also wants legal protection for the existing deposit scheme.

According to Recycling Netwerk and Stichting Natuur en Milieu, there is a risk of dismantling the existing deposit scheme for plastic bottles. The environmental movement considers the plastic collection that would replace it to be far too poorly thought out. Robbert van Duin of Recycling Netwerk: "The current plans for plastic collection are not aimed at achieving environmental benefits and there is a lack of vision on the ultimate goal. There is a risk of a fiasco that will not lead to environmental benefits in the coming years, but to more greenhouse gas emissions." Regarding the further structure of plastic collection, Recycling Netwerk and Natuur en Milieu conclude that climate policy not only requires (much) more recycling, but also high-quality plastic recycling. For this, it is necessary to provide customisation with the collection: as many clean and unmixed fractions as possible. This costs significantly more than is provided for in a framework agreement between the minister, the business community and municipalities. But as the environmental movement writes in its letter to the House of Representatives: "Extra collection of plastic waste is great, but only when extra environmental benefits are also achieved with it." Statutorily mandated deposit systems are by far the best collection systems from an environmental point of view: they always deliver clean and unmixed waste. But it is precisely deposit schemes that have strong opponents. Code from retailers suggests that the deposit on plastic soft drink bottles will probably be abolished in two years. It is argued that only the strictly necessary should be invested to keep the deposit system running for a little longer. It was the intention to retain deposits unless - in 2013 - it is proven that plastic collection with bins yields comparably good results. The environmental movement now fears a creeping dismantling of the deposit system and is strongly urging a statutory regulation of the deposit scheme until at least 2013.