Joint Nordic deposit system proposed

Photo: Rignes.no.

The Nordic countries should introduce a common deposit system for bottles and cans, stated several Nordic MPs in Copenhagen on Friday. In the first place a common system would benefit the environment – every year large quantities of bottles and cans are thrown away in the open and in ordinary household rubbish.

The prospects for a Nordic deposit system were discussed at the Nordic Council’s April meetings in Copenhagen on Friday April 17. A number of representatives from commerce and the building industry took part in the discussion with the Nordic Council MPs.

Nowadays Nordic citizens bring in large quantities of bottles and cans from other countries but, because these are not covered by the deposit system in their home country, a large number of these do not reach the recycling stations.

The Swedish National Board of Trade published a report in 2004 on a co-ordinated return system for beverage containers within the EU/EEA. The report proposed, as a first step, setting up a deposit system for Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The report stressed that a system for recycling beverage containers would benefit the environment, consumers and the internal market.

Friday’s discussion was organised by the Nordic Council’s Business & Industry Committee and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. They have set up a working group within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers to investigate the opportunities for a joint Nordic deposit system.

Source: Nordic Council