Government did not predict bin vandalism for cans with deposits

The Dutch government did not predict that putting deposits on cans would lead to so much litter nuisance, according to a freedom of information request by broadcaster NOS.

Cities such as Amsterdam, Nijmegen and Eindhoven have experienced particular problems with bins being broken open and rubbish strewn all over the streets as people hunt for cans that can be exchanged for cash.

A trial in Amsterdam of bins with racks outside – as in Denmark – to avoid bin breaks has not made a significant different, according to a city report last month.

But according to NOS, the infrastructure ministry involved in introducing deposits had only considered collection points, the level of the deposit and how various bodies would react – rather than litter. In fact, it had thought that “deposit hunters would be stimulated to collect bottles and cans dropped in the street and hand them in”.

It did not predict the issues with bin vandalism. A union for municipal cleaning bodies, the NVRD, has said that large cities will need two extra full-time staff to deal with the nuisance and blamed a lack of collection points.

Rob Buurman, director of the Fair Resource Foundation, told NOS that nobody had predicted the issues, and recommended higher deposits. “Apparently there are enough people in the Netherlands living in such poverty that it is worth their while to look through bins,” he reportedly said. “And maybe we are more densely populated than other North European countries and more on the streets, which leads to more bottles and cans in public bins.”

Deposits were introduced in the Netherlands on small plastic bottles in 2021 and last year cans were added.