French plastics packaging industry association Elipso (Paris; www.elipso.org) has called on policymakers to establish a single set of specifications and a single waste management organisation to make a deposit system for plastics waste operational.

Elipso said that the collection of plastic drink bottles, estimated at just over 61%, is set to rise to 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. If the collection rate is less than 90% by weight in 2026 and 2027, a mandatory deposit system must be imposed from 1 January 2029, according to a draft European regulation on plastics and plastics waste.

To meet the targets for recycling and incorporating reclaimed materials in France, for all resins combined, collection needs to be boosted by nearly 150% between now and 2025, Elipso claimed. “If France does not achieve, or does not come significantly close to achieving, the targets for collection rates by 2025 and 2030, it will not be able to guarantee sufficient availability of recycled material to meet the incorporation targets.”

Besides, if the collection rate for PET bottles were to reach 90% in 2030, the overall recycling rate for plastic packaging in France could be expected to rise from 24% to 32%, Elipso said.

The French plastics industry is in favour of a deposit for recycling plastic bottles. In addition, The Ipsos survey conducted by Reloop France in March showed that 92% of French citizens strongly support the implementation of a deposit return scheme for beverage containers, including plastic bottles.