Lots of bottle How the Dutch are reducing litter and boosting recycling

When Mariama Kamara enters the Statiegeld return shop on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam, she is on a mission. She has been tasked by her aunt, who runs a nearby restaurant, with depositing three giant blue bags of bottles and cans. In about seven minutes she feeds a machine about 350 cans, bringing in more than €50 (£43), which will go back into her aunt's business. "It's a really cool idea, and so convenient," she says.

- Hannah Docter-Loeb

In the Netherlands, whenever consumers buy goods in cans, glass or plastic bottles, they pay a fee (statiegeld) ranging from 15 cents to 25 cents depending on the type of container. This can be reclaimed when the item is returned to a "reverse vending machine".

But the machines, which are usually in supermarkets, sometimes don't work, or are too small. Stores will also only accept packaging from brands they sell; for instance, Lidl won't accept Coca-Cola bottles because it does not sell them. And, unlike most countries with deposit return schemes, only supermarkets are obliged to have these machines.

Recent EU legislation mandates an ambitious 90% collection rate for single-use plastic bottles and cans, and the Netherlands still has a long way to go. According to Verpact, which is responsible for managing the collection and recycling of packaging waste, 77% of plastic drinks bottles and 84% of cans were returned last year - high compared with many countries but still not high enough.