2023-07-16 12:42:00
There should be a deposit on all beverage packaging, says Dirk Groot. Because deposits have a direct effect on litter, according to his research. Groot finds far fewer cans on the street since there is a 15 cent deposit on them. Two years ago, the amount of plastic stray bottles dropped drastically when a deposit was introduced on those bottles.
In April, May and June of this year, the number of cans left lying on the street decreased by more than 55 percent compared to the same period in previous years, according to Groots report. Since 2019, Rijkswaterstaat has included its figures in its own semi-annual reports on litter.
420 kilometers, 9945 beverage packages
Under the nickname Zwerfinator, Groot has been researching all types of litter for years. He counts what he finds per kilometer on fixed walking routes in different cities and villages. In the first half of 2023, he walked 420 kilometers, in which he picked up 9945 drink packaging, of which 7195 cans and 988 plastic bottles. Converted, this is 17.1 cans per kilometer, which means a decrease of 20.4 percent compared to the average over the first six months of 2019 up to and including 2022.
Because the deposit on cans only took effect on April 1, the consequences for litter have only become noticeable in the last three months: here the decrease is 55 percent. That effect is increasing, partly because there were still old cans without a deposit in circulation when the scheme came into effect. Between March and June, Groot noted a difference of 64 percent. This is already close to the 70 percent decrease in the amount of small plastic bottles, which have been subject to a deposit since July 2021.
The total number of beverage packaging per kilometer was 30 percent lower in the first half of this year than in previous years. Cans and bottles with a deposit still end up on the street, but they have ‘pick-up value’ and are often returned by others. So deposits work, but there is room for improvement, Groot thinks. For example, by increasing the deposit from 15 to 25 cents (the amount in Germany) and increasing the number of collection points so that people in public areas can more easily return their cans and bottles.
Half of the cans are flat or heavily dented
The pick-up value can also be increased if damaged bottles and cans are also taken. Half of the deposit cans that Groot found on the street this year were flat or heavily dented. Nobody picks them up because deposit machines don’t accept them and they are almost never taken manually. This now also applies to flat plastic returnable bottles, Groot notes. Until April, many supermarkets still took them manually, but most stores have stopped doing so.
Damaged bottles therefore remain on the street, just like bottles that no longer have the label and mandatory indelible deposit logo on them. Partly because of this, the decrease in the share of bottles in litter remains at around 70 percent. This means that the target of 90 percent has not been achieved by a long shot.
According to Groot, the best solution is deposits on all beverage packaging, including beverage cartons, squeeze bottles and plastic bottles for juice and dairy products, which are currently still excluded. According to Groots counts, the number of medium and large beverage cartons in litter has doubled in the past two years. Where previously cartons mainly contained dairy, more than one in three cartons are now used as packaging for water, lemonade or juice.
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