Deposit bin-raiding mainly a big-city problem, minister says
In answers to parliamentary questions, Climate and Green Growth Minister Van Veldhoven-van der Meer says breaking open bins and bags to find deposit bottles and cans is a problem mainly in large cities, and that an evaluation found litter from plastic bottles and cans fell by more than 70% across the country.
Minister Van Veldhoven-van der Meer confirmed she is aware of the problems described in a study by the four biggest cities, where people searching for deposit items break open litter bins and tear open rubbish bags. Waste already collected then ends up on the street. She called this "undesirable" in her written answers to MPs, received on 26 October.
The minister said the evaluation of the deposit rules (statiegeldregelgeving) found the problem mainly occurs at busy places in large cities. She said its scope is limited and that in most places in the Netherlands it does not occur. The same evaluation found litter from plastic bottles and cans fell by more than 70% across the country.
After the evaluation, her predecessor asked Verpact to improve how the deposit system runs and to reduce litter in large cities. In 2025 Verpact presented a comprehensive plan (Totaalaanpak) with measures it can take together with municipalities. The minister said this needs tailor-made solutions, because the cause of litter differs by place. Examples include redesigned waste bins, campaigns aimed at tourists and more return points in problem areas.
In recent letters to parliament she announced measures to improve the deposit rules and make returning bottles and cans easier for consumers, so that fewer end up in bins. She expects that if bottles and cans become harder to find in bins, breaking bins open becomes less attractive. She added that the measures are also needed to prevent more expensive and stricter European rules.
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Verpact
Verpact is the organisation that runs the Dutch deposit system (statiegeld) for drink packaging, on behalf of the producers and importers that sell these drinks in the Netherlands. It handles the collection and return of deposit bottles and cans, and it works with municipalities on the system's practical side, such as litter in public spaces. Its role matters for anyone who returns bottles or cans, because it sets how the deposit system works day to day.