Improve plastic bottle collection for depostit or face €300 mil. fine: Inspectorate

Drinks manufacturers could face accumulating fines totalling over 300 million euros if they do not quickly improve the collection of plastic bottles for deposit. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) ordered Verpact, the organization responsible for the deposit scheme on behalf of the producers, to make it “more attractive and easier” for consumers to return their bottles for a deposit, listing five points of improvement.

For the past two years, the collection of plastic bottles has been far below the legal target of 90 percent. Last year, Verpact only collected 68 percent of plastic bottles. In December, the organization submitted an improvement plan but called it unlikely that it would achieve the target before 2026.

According to the ILT, that’s not good enough. It ordered the organization to place more collection points where people can return their bottles for their deposit.

“When introducing the deposit on plastic bottles, Verpact itself indicated that 12,000 paid return points would be needed,” Rob van Alphen of the ILT told NOS. “But they only started the expansion last year.” It would have been better if the government had included a collection obligation for all points of sale of plastic bottles in the scheme, Van Alphen said. “That was in the draft legislation, but it was removed.”

Last year, the Netherlands counted 4,140 points where consumers could return their plastic bottles and get their deposit back. If Verpact doesn’t increase that to 9,400 by 2027, the Inspectorate will fine the organization 135 million euros. Verpact must also make it easier for consumers to find collection points via a website or app.

The ILT also wants Verpact to increase the amount of the deposit to make it more attractive for consumers to return their bottles rather than throw them away. The Inspectorate previously wanted to increase deposits to 50 cents but has now dropped the amount. It ordered Verpact to conduct research into the best amount in the coming months.

It also ordered Verpact to investigate whether consumers actually like the digital payment of deposits via Tikkie, as currently happens at many collection points outside supermarkets. “The question is to what extent this forms a barrier to handing in the bottles,” Van Alphen told NOS. “There are a number of downsides to digital repayment. For example, tourists can’t use it because they don’t have a Dutch bank account. This can also be a problem for homeless people.”

Verpact must also improve the collection of damaged bottles. Currently, deposit machines often don’t accept them, which is a “major annoyance for consumers,” the ILT said. Producers must provide solutions before November.

If Verpact does not meet all the requirements on time, fines up to 305 million euros will follow.

The fines only apply to plastic bottles. The deposit on cans was only implemented last year, so the legal collection obligation of 90 percent applies for the first time this year. The deposit on small plastic bottles was implemented in 2021, so the target applied from 2022. The ILT expects that improvements in the collection of plastic bottles will also have a positive impact on the collection of cans.

Verpact told NOS that it was studying the content of the ILT’s demands and would meet the collection targets by the end of 2026.