France tests glass deposit system as US‑Korea unveil plastic‑to‑hydrogen process

In western France, a year‑long pilot of the ReUse glass deposit scheme at a Super U in Nantes has returned only about 25 % of sold bottles, far below the government’s target of 10 % of all packaging being reusable next year. Customers pay a 0.10‑0.20 € surcharge on selected water, juice and soup bottles and receive a refund via a violet collection machine. The pilot highlights low consumer uptake and the need for broader industry participation, according to Yann Priou of the Bout’ à Bout’ plant and Zero Waste France’s Bastien Faure.

Separately, a research team from the United States and South Korea has demonstrated a new alkaline thermal treatment that converts mixed PET, PE and PP plastics directly into high‑purity hydrogen without pre‑sorting. The process operates at 300‑400 °C, captures carbon as solid sodium carbonate, and could reduce the energy and emissions associated with traditional plastic recycling and hydrogen production.

Both initiatives aim to address the low recycling rates of waste—9 % for plastics in Europe and high landfill/incineration rates—by offering alternative circular‑economy solutions.