Recycling Cans and Bottles
In the Netherlands, there is a container deposit on all plastic bottles (large and small) for soft drinks and water. Since April 1, 2023, there is also a container deposit on cans. You can identify these containers by the container deposit logo. The goal is to collect 90% of all cans and bottles separately for recycling in the coming years. This will reduce a significant amount of litter and waste. To achieve this goal, VU Amsterdam is participating in the Container Deposit Higher Education programme.
Collection Points at VU Amsterdam
You will find the vending machine in the Main Building, opposite coffee corner Main Street on the ground floor. Hand in your bottle or can here and scan the QR code with your phone to get your deposit back. All you need is a smartphone with the Tikkie app.
You can also choose to donate your deposit to charity. This can be done via the vending machine. All proceeds go to the Foundation for Refugee Students UAF.
The placement of the deposit vending machine is in cooperation with Deposit Money Netherlands. VU Amsterdam is one of the first universities with a deposit vending machine. The aim is to encourage young people to return their deposit packaging and thus increase the collection rate. In fact, all collected bottles and cans will be recycled.
First results after 8 months
- Some 30,000 deposit containers have been handed in at VU Amsterdam!
- The majority of users choose to pay the deposit through Tikkie. Alternative is donating your deposit to charity. Around 450 euros have been donated to charity UAF so far.
- The experience with the donation bin is less positive; cans/bottles are taken out and a lot of waste also ends up in the bin. Therefore, the donation bin will become a ‘regular’ waste bin again. Via the vending machine, however, you can continue to donate to charity (or get your money back via Tikkie).
- We are in talks with Deposit Money Netherlands about expanding the number of vending machines and drop-off points on the VU Campus.