Yes We Can: Campaign for deposits on aluminium cans

Under the motto 'Yes We Can', 68 Dutch and Belgian municipalities, dozens of organizations and multiple companies launched a campaign for the rapid introduction of a deposit on cans. According to the "Deposit Alliance", a deposit scheme on aluminium cans can drastically reduce the amount of litter, NOS reports.

The original agreement that the Dutch government made with the business community was that the share of cans in litter must be reduced by at least 70 percent by the autumn of 2021. "We now see more and more cans are being left behind in nature, that is why we say: the decision can already be made," Suze Govers of the alliance said to the broadcaster.

Govers pointed out that State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven already introduced a deposit on plastic bottles. "She saw that more plastic bottles came into nature instead of fewer. That motivated her to make the decision about plastic sooner." The expectation is that getting a deposit back when returning plastic bottles will result in 70 to 90 percent fewer plastic bottles on the street and in nature.

According to the Deposit Alliance, research has shown that a high percentage of consumers are willing to return cans if they get a deposit. 

Organizations and companies involved in the Deposit Alliance include the Consumentenbond, ASN, LTO, and Triodos Bank