Retailers criticise plan for deposits on milk and juice packs

Supermarkets have criticised the Dutch government’s plans to include milk and juice cartons in the deposit return scheme for glass and plastic bottles.

Green growth minister Stientje van Veldhoven announced the measure in a letter to parliament last week, arguing it would reduce litter and make the system easier for consumers to understand.

“At the moment deposits are mandatory for plastic soft drink and water bottles but not for other plastic bottles,” she wrote. “Consumers sometimes don’t understand why some plastic bottles have deposits and others do not.”

But in a response to the ministry, the grocers’ lobby group CBL said it was concerned that introducing deposits on milk and juice containers could threaten food security and public health.

It said deposit returns encourage scavenging as street bins are emptied by people searching for containers that they can take to the deposit point to earn money, leaving behind open bin bags that attract vermin.

However, recent figures on litter show that the number of drinks packs counted in street litter has fallen steeply since 2023, when the deposit scheme was extended to metal cans.

The law requires packaging companies to collect 90% of empty bottles, but last year’s figures showed they were well short of that target at 77%.

The environment and transport inspectorate (ILT) has threatened to levy conditional fines if they continue to fall short.

Van Veldhoven said she wanted to prevent stricter rules being introduced by the European Union, which has threatened to impose a universal obligation on all retailers, including small shops, on countries that fail to meet the 90% target.