Levy on single-use plastic not having much effect on litter

The levy on single-use plastic items has not, so far, had the impact on litter that the government had hoped. There is still as much litter on the Dutch streets as before the levy took effect on July 1, Nieuwsuur reports.

Since July, consumers have had to pay extra for plastic containers and packaging. Catering entrepreneurs must state the amount separately on the receipt. They can set the levy for themselves, but the Ministry’s guidelines are 5 cents for a small single-use plastic package, 25 cents for a cup, and 50 cents for meal packaging. In practice, few follow that guideline, according to Nieuwsuur. Supermarkets, in particular, charge 1 cent for all types of packaging.

In addition to the levy, entrepreneurs are obliged to offer a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging or have a “bring your own” option.

Every day, Netherlands residents throw away approximately 19 million plastic cups and food packaging, about the same as before the levy, Dirk Groot, who has been researching litter for years, told the program. The Ministry of Infrastructure and various municipal[alities use Groot’s data. “I still encounter just as many disposable cups as before,” Groot said. “The only thing that stands out is that more than half of these cups now have cardboard lids, while previously they were all plastic.”

The government hoped that the levy would prompt Netherlands residents to take their own reusable containers to their local takeaway joint. However, Hans Risselada, a researcher into consumer behavior at the University of Groningen, isn’t hopeful. “Firstly, the levy is focused on costs without always being linked to a sustainable alternative. The consumer does not always have a choice. In addition, the levy is levied differently everywhere, so it is confusing for the consumer.”

Risselada thinks it would help if the government determined one fixed amount instead of letting entrepreneurs choose the height of the levy themselves. It would also be good if the government communicated its policy for the levy better, for example, through campaign commercials. “Consumers don’t really know what the idea is behind it, where the money goes, and what happens to it.”

As this is a levy and not a tax, the proceeds go to the entrepreneurs, not the treasury. Entrepreneurs are free to choose for themselves how to use that money, although the Ministry of Infrastructure hopes they’ll use it to switch to sustainable packaging.

KHN, the trade association for the catering and hospitality sector, sees that entrepreneurs are struggling with the new rules. “It is quite a complicated process,” a spokesperson told Nieuwsuur. “Any new legislation takes time to implement, and we must give entrepreneurs that time.”

The trade association hopes that the government will refrain from fining entrepreneurs while they work on compliance with the new rules, especially since more new rules are coming in January. From next year, hotels, cafes, and restaurants will no longer be allowed to offer disposable cups or containers with plastic for food and beverages consumed on-site. Reusable tableware will then become the standard.