Consumers are still reluctant to recycle small plastic bottles and they account for just 25% of bottles handed in via supermarket and railway station recycling points, according to collection agency Verpact.

Some 74% of all plastic bottles were collected for recycling last year, Verpact said on Tuesday.  This includes a small percentage of juice and dairy bottles which currently don’t carry a deposit and have been fished out of regular waste.

Every year, one billion small and 700 large plastic bottles end up in circulation and by law 90% should be recycled.

Verpact says that more automated recycling points would help consumers return more small bottles but is struggling to find more outlets to accept the machinery. There are currently around 5,000 nationwide.

Campaigners also say shops should be required by law to take in empty bottles, as is the situation in Germany, but the government has already rejected this idea.

There are also some 23,000 places where people can donate their plastic bottles and raise money for charity.

Deposits were introduced on cans last April but as yet Verpact has not published an annual report about progress in recycling them. However, a spokesman told news website Nu.nl that some 75% of cans are now being handed back. “So they are doing better than plastic bottles,” the spokesman said.

Government inspectors have said that if drinks manufacturers do not do more to promote the collection of plastic bottles and cans they will be fined up to €300 million.