Scotland leaves the Netherlands and Belgium behind with deposit return scheme

That is what Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Climate Change (SNP), has just declared in the Scottish Parliament. The system will come into force during this parliamentary term, said Cunningham, the Scottish National Party (SNP) Environment Minister. The deposit return scheme is very comprehensive. It will apply to glass, can, and PET plastic beverage containers, with the option to expand it later to HDPE plastic and Tetra Pak packaging.

Scottish deposit return scheme is superior to Dutch proposal

The Dutch government can take an example from the Scottish decision. The draft deposit regulations in the Netherlands are limited to small plastic bottles in the proposal by State Secretary van Veldhoven (D66). The Scottish decision goes much further. The government actually decided to also introduce a deposit on cans and glass beverage containers. Despite the request of 97% of Dutch municipalities and countless other organisations to introduce a deposit on cans, the government is for now sticking to an incomplete deposit return scheme.

The Scottish government provides for the possibility of adding other beverage containers later. Here too, the Dutch draft deposit regulations fall short. The amendment of the Packaging Management Decree actually makes it more difficult to enforce a deposit on cans and other beverage containers in the future.

Furthermore, the Scottish government shows that it considers a return obligation for retail to be important. In this way, it is guaranteed that consumers can easily return bottles and cans to the supermarket. The Dutch environmental movement asked for this earlier, but the draft regulations still fall short: they impose targets on beverage producers, but do not oblige retailers to cooperate.

Will Flanders follow Scotland?

Scotland has a population of 5.4 million inhabitants, and is therefore highly comparable to Flanders. Previously, the Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) declared that he sees Scotland as an example. He agreed with Sturgeon to cooperate more closely in the field of innovation.

In Flanders, however, the Flemish government is lagging with the introduction of a deposit scheme. All political parties, except the N-VA and certain local branches of the Open VLD, are in favour. In addition, 60% of Flemish cities and municipalities, and 80% of citizens are in favour.

Coca-Cola supported deposit return scheme

With the decision, Scotland joins the ranks of already 40 countries that tackle litter and boost their recycling sector using a deposit return scheme. In Norway and Germany, deposit schemes increased recycling to more than 95 per cent.

Remarkably, the Scottish government made the decision in principle in September 2017, quite soon after beverage multinational Coca-Cola declared in February 2017 that it was dropping its opposition to a deposit scheme in Scotland. That a deposit scheme can be positive for small retail was also the conclusion of a Scottish retail federation.

Environmental organisation The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) played an important role. It took the initiative to set up Have you got the bottle?, an alliance similar to the Statiegeldalliantie (Deposit Alliance) active in the Netherlands and Belgium. With this, it made clear that the support is there, with hundreds of companies and organisations in favour of a deposit scheme.

Scotland a frontrunner in the circular economy

The Scottish government is making a smart move by introducing a deposit return scheme. It positions Scotland as a frontrunner in the field of climate and circular economy. Cleaner streets and nature areas will boost its popularity. It also puts Scotland in the spotlight as a tourist destination. And it creates opportunities for Scottish companies to develop know-how around deposit schemes.

The European single-use plastics directive ensures that all EU countries will introduce a deposit return scheme within ten years at most. At that moment, Scottish companies will have a comparative advantage in that market of half a billion consumers, analyses environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk.

That is what Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Climate Change (SNP), has just declared in the Scottish Parliament. The system will come into force during this parliamentary term, said Cunningham, the Scottish National Party (SNP) Environment Minister. The deposit return scheme is very comprehensive. It will apply to glass, can, and PET plastic beverage containers, with the option to expand it later to HDPE plastic and Tetra Pak packaging.

Scottish deposit return scheme is superior to Dutch proposal

The Dutch government can take an example from the Scottish decision. The draft deposit regulations in the Netherlands are limited to small plastic bottles in the proposal by State Secretary van Veldhoven (D66). The Scottish decision goes much further. The government actually decided to also introduce a deposit on cans and glass beverage containers. Despite the request of 97% of Dutch municipalities and countless other organisations to introduce a deposit on cans, the government is for now sticking to an incomplete deposit return scheme.

The Scottish government provides for the possibility of adding other beverage containers later. Here too, the Dutch draft deposit regulations fall short. The amendment of the Packaging Management Decree actually makes it more difficult to enforce a deposit on cans and other beverage containers in the future.

Furthermore, the Scottish government shows that it considers a return obligation for retail to be important. In this way, it is guaranteed that consumers can easily return bottles and cans to the supermarket. The Dutch environmental movement asked for this earlier, but the draft regulations still fall short: they impose targets on beverage producers, but do not oblige retailers to cooperate.

Will Flanders follow Scotland?

Scotland has a population of 5.4 million inhabitants, and is therefore highly comparable to Flanders. Previously, the Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) declared that he sees Scotland as an example. He agreed with Sturgeon to cooperate more closely in the field of innovation.

In Flanders, however, the Flemish government is lagging with the introduction of a deposit scheme. All political parties, except the N-VA and certain local branches of the Open VLD, are in favour. In addition, 60% of Flemish cities and municipalities, and 80% of citizens are in favour.

Coca-Cola supported deposit return scheme

With the decision, Scotland joins the ranks of already 40 countries that tackle litter and boost their recycling sector using a deposit return scheme. In Norway and Germany, deposit schemes increased recycling to more than 95 per cent.

Remarkably, the Scottish government made the decision in principle in September 2017, quite soon after beverage multinational Coca-Cola declared in February 2017 that it was dropping its opposition to a deposit scheme in Scotland. That a deposit scheme can be positive for small retail was also the conclusion of a Scottish retail federation.

Environmental organisation The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) played an important role. It took the initiative to set up Have you got the bottle?, an alliance similar to the Statiegeldalliantie (Deposit Alliance) active in the Netherlands and Belgium. With this, it made clear that the support is there, with hundreds of companies and organisations in favour of a deposit scheme.

Scotland a frontrunner in the circular economy

The Scottish government is making a smart move by introducing a deposit return scheme. It positions Scotland as a frontrunner in the field of climate and circular economy. Cleaner streets and nature areas will boost its popularity. It also puts Scotland in the spotlight as a tourist destination. And it creates opportunities for Scottish companies to develop know-how around deposit schemes.

The European single-use plastics directive ensures that all EU countries will introduce a deposit return scheme within ten years at most. At that moment, Scottish companies will have a comparative advantage in that market of half a billion consumers, analyses environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk.