Netherlands to extend deposit scheme to milk and juice bottles

Dutch climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven announced a proposal to broaden the statutory deposit (statiegeld) system to cover all plastic bottles up to three litres, including milk and fruit‑juice containers. The plan would make deposit mandatory for these bottles, require every retailer to accept returned containers without exception, raise the number of bulk‑return machines, and ban the sale of plastic bottles and cans without a deposit. The extension aims to raise the current collection rate toward the legal target of 90 percent, which the Netherlands has struggled to reach. Van Veldhoven warned that failure to meet the goal could lead to stricter EU‑wide measures from 2029. The proposal also calls for stronger cooperation with Verpact, the organization responsible for bottle collection and reuse, to ensure rapid handling of the added volume.