Re:German plastics group highlights success of bottle deposi...
by Freak_NL on Thursday December 08, 2016 @11:08AM
(#13131215)
In The Netherlands plastic bags can no longer be given away for free since the beginning of this year (some messy foodstuffs are excepted; e.g., the fishmonger). Shops are free to decide what to charge (mostly €0,10 to €0,25) but the overall effect is that people are (again) getting in the habit of bringing their own reusable bags along.
Re:German plastics group highlights success of bottle deposi...
by mercer on Thursday December 08, 2016 @12:57PM
(#13132395)
I've not seen any numbers, but anecdotally it's been very effective. Most people I know, including myself, take care to reuse bags more than before.
Re:German plastics group highlights success of bottle deposi...
by danielbln on Friday December 09, 2016 @05:02AM
(#13137804)
Same in Germany. Some big chains have even phased out plastic bags entirely and only offer paper bags for 0,50€.
Re:German plastics group highlights success of bottle deposi...
by brokenrhino on Thursday December 08, 2016 @10:32AM
(#13130877)
In Michigan we have had $0.10 deposit on beer bottles and pop(soda) bottles for a long time. It appears to extremely successful. You never see bottles littered anywhere, they are always picked up by someone in need.
Gas station garbage can a frequently sorted through for returnables.
School programs like band and sports teams will have bottle drives where they send the kids around through the neighborhood and collect bottles. It is a very successful fundraising method for them.
Re:German plastics group highlights success of bottle deposi...
by mikestew on Thursday December 08, 2016 @02:53PM
(#13133627)
Growing up in Indiana, it was hard not to notice the contrast in side ditch cleanliness when crossing the state line. Part of it is cultural, too, as the ditches in WA are a lot cleaner than in my Indiana childhood, and WA doesn't have any bottle laws.
In New York, we have $0.05 deposits, and which are less effective than the high deposits in Europe but dramatically increase the recycling rate. The biggest gap is that many bottles (wine & liquor, juice, milk, etc) are exempt, and the diversion rates are much lower.
I wish they did the same thing for plastic bags. Bottle litter is pretty limited these days, but I live on a side street off of an avenue, and we get a lot of blown in bags from that street. The bags clog storm drains, get caught in trees, etc.