The can deposit system will go into effect on December 31 of this year. This was stated by Secretary of State Vivianne Heijnen (Environment). But the industry says the date is not feasible. They wouldn’t be ready for this until April 1st or even July 1st of next year. “But this is not acceptable to us, the legal obligation simply takes effect on December 31st,” says Heijnen.
The Packaging Waste Fund Foundation went to court to take an order subject to periodic penalties off the table. This was enforced by the Inspectorate of the Human Environment and Transport (ILT). According to the inspectorate, too few steps had been taken to have the system ready in time.
Manufacturers are responsible for setting up the intake system. They keep saying that the effective date of December 31st is not feasible. According to the industry, this is partly due to “uncertainty in the delivery times of important equipment”.
According to Heijnen, everyone is free to appeal to the court. But that doesn’t change the start date, he says. He believes producers have had enough time to prepare for the new law.
Almost two years ago it was announced that cans will also be subject to bail. Upon activation of the system, the customer pays a deposit of 0.15 euros per can. The government hopes this measure will drastically reduce the share of cans in waste.
