Dozens more Dutch and Belgian local authorities have signed up to campaign for the introduction of deposits on all plastic bottles and on cans, Trouw reported on Wednesday.

The Statiegeldalliantie was launched in November with 21 organisations, including the North Sea foundation and Weert local council in Limburg. It aims to pursuade Dutch and Belgian governments to widen the use of deposits, which they say will reduce waste, rubbish collection costs and harm to animals.

The total number of members has now hit 101, including Amsterdam, Utrecht and Haarlem city councils, the paper said.

In 2015, the Dutch government tore up an agreement with the packaging industry to end the current system of deposits on plastic bottles. The industry argued there would be major cost advantages if deposits were scrapped but the cost savings, in a report commissioned by the industry, were later shown to be exaggerated.

MPs will debate widening the current deposit scheme in March, Trouw said.