Trash bins in the city center of Utrecht receive donation rings in the hope that they will not be broken open again

Since the introduction of deposits on cans and bottles, trash bins have been broken into in Utrecht. The municipality says it is looking for a solution to this problem and hopes to have found it in the form of the so-called donation ring. However, this does not appear to be a solution in other cities.

Since July 1, 2021, a deposit of 0.15 euros has been levied on plastic bottles and from April 1, 2023, this also applies to cans. Since this was introduced, there have been people who collect empty cans and bottles to earn money in this way. To help these so-called deposit collectors, the municipality last year as a test donation brackets were hung on the trash cans in Park Lepelenburg and in Griftpark.

The test showed, among other things, that the demand for empty bottles and cans in both parks was so high that they often did not make the cut because they had already been taken by the deposit collectors.

Footnote

“The immediate area around the tank has not become extra polluted as a result of the pilot. […] A side note here is that the donation brackets were used relatively little. This may influence the pollution around the bins,” the Municipal Executive writes in a letter to the council.

In addition, the council emphasizes that recreation takes place differently in parks than in other places in the city. “It is therefore not possible to say anything based on this pilot about the use of donation brackets in other parts of the city.”

In addition, the donation rings in Eindhoven are mainly used for disposing of other waste and in Leiden they are only used to a very limited extent. Both cities have therefore decided not to expand the number of rings.

Break open

Despite the above findings, this will happen in Utrecht. Some deposit collectors break open trash cans in their search, and the municipality says it is looking for a solution to this problem. Also, no negative consequences came to light in the two parks in Utrecht during the pilot.

That is why the trash bins in the city center also receive donation rings. “With the expansion to the city center, we are investigating how the brackets function there and whether they contribute to a solution to combat the negative consequences of the deposit on bottles and cans.”