The President of the Republic wants to make France a leading country in the fight against the proliferation of plastic waste, but for the moment the time is still and always for discussions. Indeed, after the vote of the anti-waste law for a circular economy (Agec), at the beginning of 2020, the question remained unresolved, because finding common ground seems difficult. But why is it so difficult to talk about plastic recycling?
By 2025, France is aiming for a target of 77% recycled bottles, but today the rates are capped at 60%. The objective is to focus on PET and HDPE plastic water bottles.
Regarding the price of the deposit, nothing has been fixed to date, but the Minister for Ecological Transition explains to the Ouest-France newspaper that “Below ten cents per container is too little. From fifteen cents, it becomes more efficient”.
However, the transition is starting too slowly and disparities exist on French territory in terms of collections. According to the minister, in Île-de-France, in Paca, less than half of this waste is collected today, while certain regions such as Burgundy Franche-Comté and Pays de la Loire show rates around 80%. .
Industrialists and NGOs agree that the deposit alone does not promote recycling, explains the minister before adding: “In addition to the instructions from large retailers, there are those, wild, based on the looting yellow individuals in order to generate a profit. Negotiated at nearly €700 per tonne, plastic to be recycled is a godsend.”
Also, as Nicolas Garnier, general delegate of the Amorce association explains to Franceinfo, certain devices planned in particular by large retailers do not make sense: “The French will pay twice. Both to have a yellow bin near their home or in their house, and in addition, they will have to pay €0.15 to finance the machines. We risk having two competing devices.” In addition, he explains that plastic is not reusable like glass, which raises questions about the cost of this recycling.
