Deposit of 15 cents on cans will officially take effect on April 1

From Saturday, a deposit of 15 euro cents will be charged on cans of beer, soft drinks and other beverages. These cans are marked with a special deposit logo and can be handed in at major supermarkets and freeway service stations where consumers can then get the deposit back. To make the public aware of the can deposit, there will be an information campaign.

A PLUS supermarket in Almere already kicked off the can deposit on Monday, when a customer symbolically handed in the first can. Since then, collection points across the country have also been up and running, making it technically possible to hand in cans there as well in recent days. However, there is still not much going on, said a spokesperson for Albert Heijn.

In addition, not all cans in stores immediately carry a deposit logo. The stores have to clear out old stock first. So there will be a transition period before all cans have a deposit. However, some brands such as Schweppes have already put cans with a deposit logo into circulation, so these cans can already be dispensed from vending machines. These vending machines have a special sticker indicating the can deposit.

It is expected that the influx of people wishing to return cans will gradually increase in the coming weeks. An advertising campaign on television, radio, the Internet and bus stops will be used to make the public aware of the introduction of the can deposit. However, the cans must not be too damaged or dented, otherwise the collection machine will not be able to read the barcode for the deposit and they will not be accepted.

The introduction of the can deposit is intended to prevent cans from ending up as waste on the streets and in nature. Every year, around 2,5 billion cans are put into circulation in the Netherlands, of which an estimated 150 million end up in nature. A deposit of 15 cents has already been levied on small plastic bottles and 25 cents on large plastic bottles.

The government wants at least 90 percent of the cans and plastic bottles with a deposit to be recycled. There are a total of 27,000 collection points in the Netherlands, including at sports clubs, movie theaters and major NS train stations. Companies involved in mass catering, such as Gaasbeek Automaten Service and Sligro, are often also collection points for their business customers.

Reporting by ANP