A public petition demanding the "immediate suspension" of the "Volta" packaging deposit and refund system has gathered more than 37 thousand signatures. The request, which asks the Government, the Assembly of the Republic and the Portuguese Environment Agency to replace the system with a "transparent, fair and truly environmental" model, was submitted to parliament on August 15 and was referred to the Environment and Energy Committee four days later. A petition needs 7,500 signatures to be debated in plenary.
The signatories consider that the "Volta" system transfers costs from companies to consumers, who are "held responsible for failures they do not control," and that there is "lack of transparency about who profits" from the model. The petition also points out that the system "does not fulfill the announced environmental objective" and that it should "reduce waste, increase recycling, promote producer responsibility, be accessible and fair for all," objectives that, according to the petitioners, are not being met.
The system came into operation in April and allows consumers to recover the 10-cent deposit value for each single-use plastic, metal and aluminum bottle and can returned to collection points. The petition also demands an independent audit of the financial, operational and environmental model of SDR Portugal, the association that manages the Deposit and Refund System.
The Minister of Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, admitted implementation problems, namely packaging being deposited in public spaces and situations of people rummaging through trash to obtain refunds, but defended that it is a "European system that will be mandatory in all European countries" and that problems are being resolved. The petition, whose first signatory is João Pontes, is not associated with any organization or political party.
