Deposit on plastic bottles: "Lobbies have settled in the heart of the State," denounces Jean-François Debat | France Environment News

A proposed deposit-refund system for plastic bottles in France is facing strong opposition from local authorities, who claim that industrial lobbies have unduly influenced the government's decision. Jean-François Debat, the delegate president of the association Villes de France, described the government's plan as a "cash machine" for producers and called for Prime Minister intervention.

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The bottle lobbies have installed themselves at the heart of the State.

The French government launched a consultation in late May to establish a deposit system for plastic bottles, aiming to improve France's recycling rates and meet European Union targets. However, local governments argue that this measure is a "false solution." They contend that plastic bottles are already among the most recycled plastic packaging and that the focus should instead be on reducing the overall volume of plastic in circulation.

Municipalities are particularly concerned about losing an estimated 400 million euros in revenue generated from selling recycled materials, which they fear would be redirected to bottle manufacturers. Debat, who is also the Socialist mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, called the proposed system "casus belli," arguing that powerful lobbies have infiltrated the state apparatus, leading to the reintroduction of a policy previously rejected twice.

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We are trying to impose a system that benefits no one, except the bottle producers.

Debat challenged the government's justification for the deposit system, which cites France's annual 1.5 billion euro fine from Brussels for recycling only 26% of its plastic packaging. He argued that plastic bottles constitute a small fraction of the total plastic packaging market and that the government's goal of recovering an additional 120,000 tons is disproportionate. Critics estimate the implementation of the required collection machines could cost between 1.8 and 3.5 billion euros.

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We are taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut while single-use plastic packaging must disappear by 2040.