When Mariama Kamara enters the new Statiegeld return shop on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, she is on a mission. She has been tasked by her aunt, who runs a nearby restaurant, with depositing three giant blue trash bags of bottles and cans. In about seven minutes she feeds the deposit machine about 350 cans, bringing in more than €50 (£43) which will go back into her aunt’s business. “It’s a really cool idea, and so convenient,” she says.
In the Netherlands, whenever consumers buy goods in cans, glass or plastic bottles, they pay a slight fee (statiegeld) that ranges from 15 cents to 25 cents depending on the size and type. This money can be reclaimed, however, when you return the container to a “reverse vending machine”, while uncollected deposits go to enlarging the scheme.
