Concerns have been raised in parliament that a new deposit scheme for plastic bottles and cans is not working, due to infrastructure issues and a lack of functioning machines for returns.

The AD reports that caretaker junior environment minister Vivianne Heijnen told parliament that she is “disappointed” and “there is a lot of work to do.”

While some cities such as Amsterdam have reported a rash of overturned bins and litter as people hunt for litter to cash in, others have reported general chaos, with long queues and malfunctioning machines.

A deposit scheme for cans started in April and a 15 cent deposit on small plastic bottles started in 2021. However the AD reports that new figures suggest that while businesses are obliged to recycle 90% of these containers, last year only 68% were actually recycled.