Deposit return system on plastic bottles – Experts are going to find out whether it will pay off in the Czech Republic, Czech online news server Aktualne.cz reports. Photo: @BrnoDaily
Brno, Jan 26 (BD) – Carlsbad Mineral Waters (Karlovarské minerální vody, KMV) has set up a working group to find out whether it’s economically efficient to return plastic bottles in the Czech Republic, its CEO announced this Tuesday (23/1/18), according to Aktualne.cz. The deposit could be as high as for a regular beer bottle.
In the Czech Republic, most beer is sold in returnable glass bottles with a CZK 3 deposit. There is currently no deposit on other types of containers.
The working group of experts from the Institute of Circular Economy (INCIEN) and the Faculty of Environmental Technologies of the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague will answer a question whether a concept of deposit return system on plastic bottles can contribute to the Czech environment and the economy.
Although Czechs are excellent in recycling and rank second in the European market (2017 survey of EKO-KOM company which collects and recycles waste in the Czech Republic), about three out of ten plastic bottles, about 16 tonnes per year, end up as a waste, INCIEN Director Soňa Jonášová explained, Aktualne.cz wrote on Tuesday.
Surveys show that the deposit system in countries such as Switzerland, Germany or Lithuania increased the return rate up to 90%. The deposit return system on plastic bottles is now being used by some 120 million EU citizens.
The critics say that introduction of the new deposit return system on plastic bottles would be too costly and inefficient and suggest reduce litter by education, regular cleaning, and law enforcement.
