Eunomia experts: Afvalfonds can deposit scheme's lack of customer-friendliness makes 90% return rate unlikely
Together with the CBL and the FNLI, the Packaging Waste Fund (Afvalfonds Verpakkingen) announced a plan late last year to collect cans in unmanned deposit machines in public spaces, outside of supermarkets, because supermarkets refuse to collect cans alongside glass and plastic bottles. Commissioned by Recycling Netwerk Benelux, the consultancy firm Eunomia, known […]
Together with CBL and FNLI, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen announced a plan late last year for the collection of cans in unmanned reverse vending machines in public spaces, outside of supermarkets, because supermarkets refuse to collect cans alongside glass and plastic bottles.
Commissioned by Recycling Netwerk Benelux, the consultancy Eunomia, known for its work for the European Commission, assessed whether the Afvalfonds Verpakkingen plan will meet the legal targets: an operational collection system by the deadline of the start of the deposit system on cans on 31 December 2022; and achieving a 90% return rate for can collection by 2024.
The House of Representatives will hold a technical briefing and round-table discussion on the Afvalfonds plan on 10 March.
Too many cans lost due to consumer-unfriendly set-up
"Achieving the 90% separate collection target means matching the best deposit systems in the world," said Eunomia, and the best systems put people first because participation ultimately determines whether the system succeeds or fails. After comparison with other successful deposit systems, Eunomia concludes that the Afvalfonds Verpakkingen plan is not consumer-friendly enough to expect a 90% return rate to be achieved.
Eunomia notes that there is no system in the world that achieves the legally required 90% collection rate without in-store collection at supermarkets (return-to-retail). The fact that customers can return their deposit bottles to the supermarket, but have to go elsewhere for their cans, is unique and makes the system less customer-friendly.
Moreover, this breaks with existing routines. The preference of 89% of Dutch consumers is to also return cans to the supermarket. Eunomia writes that this parallel system will be more difficult to understand and use. Eunomia does not even rule out that people will be forced to give up their deposit.
Collection points
Afvalfonds Verpakkingen wants to collect cans at collection points at a maximum of 500 metres from supermarkets. Eunomia estimates that for 20% of supermarkets, consumers would have to walk about 4 minutes extra, and at least 2 minutes for 40%. Given the short distances consumers in the Netherlands typically travel to supermarkets, Eunomia expects this extra distance to weigh heavily on consumers. In addition, there is serious doubt whether this 500-metre rule will be maintained.
The 3,300 collection points planned by the Afvalfonds are far below the number of collection points in deposit systems that achieve 90% return rates. While the Afvalfonds plans 2.5 reverse vending machines and 1.9 collection points per 10,000 inhabitants, in Germany, for example, this stands at 5.3 reverse vending machines and 16 collection points respectively.
Eunomia also points out that in a 2019 study commissioned by the Dutch government, EY Parthenon calculated that approximately 12,000 return locations at points of sale are needed to achieve a collection rate of 92-93%.
Eunomia concludes that the combination of all these risks is likely to "have a cumulative effect that will result in too many cans being 'lost' to meet the 90% target".
Problematic to meet deadline
Eunomia also investigated whether the Afvalfonds can roll out their plan by the start of the deposit on cans on 31 December 2022. By that time, Afvalfonds promises to have 1,300 reverse vending machines outside stores and at high-traffic locations, and 1,500 additional locations guaranteed by supermarkets ready for use.
Eunomia points out the lack of detail in the plan and the lack of transparency about the current state of affairs, even towards municipalities, to whom the Afvalfonds assigns a crucial role in the roll-out.
The parallel system of the Afvalfonds, with collection points at new locations that are not owned or supervised by retail outlets, presents exceptional challenges in terms of site selection, licensing, installation, logistics, and maintenance. It is therefore much more complex than roll-outs in other countries, or the previous expansion to small plastic bottles.
The most recent roll-out of a deposit system in Europe was Lithuania. They work with in-store collection at supermarkets. They do not face any of those specific bottlenecks related to public space. Yet it still took them more than 12 months to install around 1,000 reverse vending machines in supermarkets.
Eunomia considers it problematic to arrange all this within the legal deadline and indicates that several municipal experts interviewed even believe this is impossible. It is clear to Eunomia that the deadline is "very challenging" given the operational set-up of the proposal.
The full report
Eunomia. Deposit Return in the Netherlands An assessment of the Afvalfonds proposal for beverage ca
Together with CBL and FNLI, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen announced a plan late last year for the collection of cans in unmanned reverse vending machines in public spaces, outside of supermarkets, because supermarkets refuse to collect cans alongside glass and plastic bottles.
Commissioned by Recycling Netwerk Benelux, the consultancy Eunomia, known for its work for the European Commission, assessed whether the Afvalfonds Verpakkingen plan will meet the legal targets: an operational collection system by the deadline of the start of the deposit system on cans on 31 December 2022; and achieving a 90% return rate for can collection by 2024.
The House of Representatives will hold a technical briefing and round-table discussion on the Afvalfonds plan on 10 March.
Too many cans lost due to consumer-unfriendly set-up
"Achieving the 90% separate collection target means matching the best deposit systems in the world," said Eunomia, and the best systems put people first because participation ultimately determines whether the system succeeds or fails. After comparison with other successful deposit systems, Eunomia concludes that the Afvalfonds Verpakkingen plan is not consumer-friendly enough to expect a 90% return rate to be achieved.
Eunomia notes that there is no system in the world that achieves the legally required 90% collection rate without in-store collection at supermarkets (return-to-retail). The fact that customers can return their deposit bottles to the supermarket, but have to go elsewhere for their cans, is unique and makes the system less customer-friendly.
Moreover, this breaks with existing routines. The preference of 89% of Dutch consumers is to also return cans to the supermarket. Eunomia writes that this parallel system will be more difficult to understand and use. Eunomia does not even rule out that people will be forced to give up their deposit.
Collection points
Afvalfonds Verpakkingen wants to collect cans at collection points at a maximum of 500 metres from supermarkets. Eunomia estimates that for 20% of supermarkets, consumers would have to walk about 4 minutes extra, and at least 2 minutes for 40%. Given the short distances consumers in the Netherlands typically travel to supermarkets, Eunomia expects this extra distance to weigh heavily on consumers. In addition, there is serious doubt whether this 500-metre rule will be maintained.
The 3,300 collection points planned by the Afvalfonds are far below the number of collection points in deposit systems that achieve 90% return rates. While the Afvalfonds plans 2.5 reverse vending machines and 1.9 collection points per 10,000 inhabitants, in Germany, for example, this stands at 5.3 reverse vending machines and 16 collection points respectively.
Eunomia also points out that EY Parthenon already in 2019, in a study commissioned by the Dutch government, calculated that approximately 12,000 return locations at points of sale are needed to achieve a collection rate of 92-93%.
Eunomia concludes that the combination of all these risks is likely to "have a cumulative effect that will result in too many cans being 'lost' to meet the 90% target".
Problematic to meet deadline
Eunomia also investigated whether the Afvalfonds can roll out their plan by the start of the deposit on cans on 31 December 2022. By that time, Afvalfonds promises to have 1,300 reverse vending machines outside stores and at high-traffic locations, and 1,500 additional locations guaranteed by supermarkets ready for use.
Eunomia points out the lack of detail in the plan and the lack of transparency about the current state of affairs, even towards municipalities, to whom the Afvalfonds assigns a crucial role in the roll-out.
The parallel system of the Afvalfonds, with collection points at new locations that are not owned or supervised by retail outlets, presents exceptional challenges in terms of site selection, licensing, installation, logistics, and maintenance. It is therefore much more complex than roll-outs in other countries, or the previous expansion to small plastic bottles.
The most recent roll-out of a deposit system in Europe was Lithuania. They work with in-store collection at supermarkets. They do not face any of those specific bottlenecks related to public space. Yet it still took them more than 12 months to install around 1,000 reverse vending machines in supermarkets.
Eunomia considers it problematic to arrange all this within the legal deadline and indicates that several municipal experts interviewed even believe this is impossible. It is clear to Eunomia that the deadline is "very challenging" given the operational set-up of the proposal.
The full report
In the media
Trouw, Research agency: Cans will continue to litter if you do not collect them in the supermarket, 3 March 2022
BNNVARA, 'Deposit cans collection target not achievable with current plan', 3 March 2022
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