2023-06-24 15:00:40
Jun 24, 2023 at 05:00 Update: 28 minutes ago
The introduction of a deposit on cans leads to chaos in the supermarket. For example, there are long queues in front of the vending machines and cans that are not suitable are deposited next to the waste bins. The devices also crash faster.
“Dear customer, since the introduction of a deposit on cans, we experience many malfunctions in our packaging machines. Our supplier and we are working with all our might to solve this problem as quickly as possible. We apologize for this major inconvenience.” That text is on a note in a branch of Jumbo in Breda, where the vending machines jammed earlier this week.
Jumbo itself does not want to say whether several stores are affected by this problem. The supermarket chain from Veghel refers to Statiegeld Nederland. “They are aware of the state of affairs, we do not have that overview,” says a spokesperson.
Since April 1, we pay a 15 eurocent deposit per can and we get that money back when we return a can. This is possible, for example, at supermarkets, but also at petrol stations, railway stations, cinemas and snack bars. There are now 27,000 places in our country where this is possible.
In addition to a vending machine for empty bottles, Dirk van den Broek’s supermarkets also have a machine for empty cans. “This allows us to spread the crowds better,” says a spokesperson. “We sometimes have to deal with longer queues, which means that customers sometimes have to wait a little longer. It is also a bit messier in the shops, but we keep it up to date as best we can.”
Albert Heijn acknowledges the problems, but emphasizes that these are snapshots. “It occasionally happens that customers save a lot of cans, so that others have to wait longer at the vending machines. We have also placed rubbish bins near the machines, so that no mess is created.”
More than 2.5 billion cans over the counter
According to Statiegeld Nederland, this indicates that consumers are returning their cans en masse. “In the end, that’s what it’s all regarding, so I’m happy with it,” says director Raymond Gianotten.
Every year, no less than 2.5 billion cans are sold, 1 billion more than the large and small PET bottles combined. “It is therefore possible that supermarkets have to install extra machines because of the crowds and have to clean the machines more often to prevent malfunctions.”
The director of Statiegeld Nederland also says that supermarkets are doing everything they can to solve the problems as quickly as possible. “It’s just a bit annoying and certainly not nice, but supermarkets don’t want frustrated customers either. Some things will have to be adjusted and that will certainly happen.”
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