The deposit system for cans will start three months later, on April 1, 2023 instead of January 1. That is the Council of State Friday announced. There are still too many IT problems and too few machines to ensure a smooth implementation, starting just after the turn of the year.
The Council of State made the ruling after Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, to which various supermarkets and producers and importers of canned drinks are affiliated, had filed a case. They were afraid of possible penalties that they would be imposed from January if they were not yet able to give customers a deposit for cans. Due to practical limitations, it is not yet possible to run the system properly just after the turn of the year, the foundation found.
The preliminary relief judge agrees with the supermarkets and importers that a smooth introduction of the system is in the public interest. The deposit system for cans will work in much the same way as the existing system for plastic bottles. For each can submitted at least 15 cents be counted. The aim of the system is to collect more reusable materials and fewer cans in the litter.