France Urbaine, l’Association des Maires de France (AMF), Intercommunalités de France and the Cercle National du Recyclage (CNR) praise the decision to scrap a mandatory deposit return system for plastic bottles in France, instead supporting such measures as extended producer responsibility and more funding for waste management services.
Earlier in September, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced that France would not enforce a mandatory deposit system for plastic bottles. Instead, towns and cities will be encouraged to introduce voluntary schemes.
The decisions comes after several months of consultation and mobilization by association of local elected officials, including “tense discussions” with the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Critics have argued that this “false deposit” system will not develop reuse or recycling efforts, nor reduce plastic waste in line with France’s Loi Anti-gaspillage pour une économie circulaire (Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law).
The Inspection Générale des Finances (IGF) and L’inspection Générale de l’environnement et du Développement Durable (IGEDD) backed this view in a joint report – concluding that a deposit return system for recycling plastic bottles would not improve the overall recycling performance of plastic bottles.
Local municipalities have also expressed fears that a mandatory deposit return scheme will have financial consequences for the general public, who would be forced to cover the costs of existing recycling systems if they end up in a funding deficit.
France Urbaine, AMF, Intercommunalités de France and CNR now thank the French government “for deciding against this ecologically and financially ill-conceived measure and for reaffirming their confidence in public waste management services.”
The decision is seen as recognizing the “central role” of local authorities in waste collection and treatment processes. Now the associations call upon all stakeholders to implement alternative proposals – described as a “more comprehensive approach” to achieving a 90% collection rate for plastic beverage bottles and collecting 315,000 tonnes annually.
This includes reducing the number of plastic bottles placed on the market, promoting reuse and recycling initiatives, developing public drinking fountains and encouraging consumers to drink tap water, funding local public waste management services, and holding producers responsible for their waste.
These proposals are also set to eliminate 5 million tonnes of plastic pollution and achieve France’s objective to keep 38 million tonnes of household waste within a circular economy.
France Urbaine joins elected officials in calling for an “immediate start” to a series of working sessions and meetings to define priority actions.
In other news, Exchange for Change has announced the intended producer fees for the UK’s upcoming deposit return scheme, which is due to launch in October 2027. After ‘extensive consultation and engagement’ with industry associations over several months, the organization has decided that the fee will be set at 0p for the first 15 months from October 2027 to December 2028.
Returpack/Pantamera also reports that Sweden’s deposit return scheme is the first in Europe to receive RecyClass certification for its PET bottle sorting process. This verifies that the recycled plastic is food-safe and meets EU traceability requirements.
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