The French government gave up on imposing a mandatory national deposit and refund system for plastic bottles, similar to the Portuguese Volta. The decision was announced on September 8, after three months of meetings with municipalities, beverage companies and recycling operators. Alternatively, each French region may develop a solution adapted to its needs.
In Portugal, the Volta system, launched on April 10, remains operational. The Minister of Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, acknowledged constraints in implementation and announced more enforcement and machines, also defending larger equipment to solve problems of lack of available points.
In France, municipalities opposed the measure fearing losing revenue from investments made in modernizing sorting centers and recycling points. Municipal associations also contested the so-called "monetization of waste," arguing that associating a financial reward with packaging delivery could devalue voluntary separation done for environmental reasons.
In the Portuguese case, complaints include machines out of service or unavailable, which fill up quickly due to the volume of deliveries. There are also reports of people rummaging through recycling points looking for bottles and cans with the Volta seal to recover the ten cents of the deposit, leaving trash on the street. The Government maintains as a response the reinforcement of collection resources and enforcement.
