Play all audios:
SHOPPERS WHO RETURN PRODUCTS WILL RECEIVE BETWEEN 10C AND 20C PER ITEM A deposit scheme for glass bottles and jars will begin next month in four French regions, as a return to the recycling
measure is trialled. Shoppers in Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Brittany, and Hauts-de-France will be able to deposit used glass bottles and jars at (some) supermarkets from June 12 onwards.
Depending on the product, consumers will receive a sum of between 10c and 20c per glass item for returning them, covered by an initial higher base purchase price – their ‘deposit’. The major
trial was announced last year, although similar schemes are already being carried out on a smaller scale in certain supermarkets, such as in Paris. Internationally, it is similar to major
schemes in countries such as Germany, where a robust plastic bottle recycling scheme using the same principles is in place. If successful, scheme manager Citeo says it may be rolled out
across all of France, as it helps significantly cut down waste and CO² emissions. HOW WILL IT WORK? The majority of major French supermarkets – Carrefour, Intermarché, E.Leclerc, and
Monoprix, among others – are participating in the trial, and will have collection points set up in their stores. These will either be set up independently near the store entrance or exit,
or in around a third of cases, at checkouts. Despite the start date of June 12, some supermarkets will join the scheme slightly later, between July and September as the return points are not
yet installed. Participating products will have a purple sticker with the words ‘Rapportez-moi’ (bring me back) on them, detailing they are part of the scheme. At the beginning of the
trial, this will mostly be bottles of beer, soap, juice and soups but will progressively widen to include other canned foods. Items should be returned with their cap or lid where possible,
to make the process easier (and avoid spillages when returning them). Several major producers are aligning their glass products so they can be re-used across companies after being returned.
When these items are re-scanned, the deposited amount will be returned to customers. This deposit amount can either be added to a consumer’s bank card, or as a voucher to be used in the
store they returned the product to. In both cases, returning glass items in bulk will likely be easier. The current deposit values – 10c for smaller products and 20c for larger ones – are
based on similar schemes running in France, but will increase before the end of the year. This increase will take place as Citeo looks to find the right balance in the deposit amount. If it
is too low, people may not bother to go through with returning the bottles to get their deposit back; too high, and they may be put off purchasing the product in the first place. Read more:
More French communes ending home bin collections