While neighbouring Germany has long operated a deposit scheme, Luxembourg remains hesitant, citing high costs, logistical hurdles, and uncertainty over how such a system could work.
By next year, EU rules require that 77% of single-use plastic beverage bottles be collected, with the target rising to 90% by 2029. In Luxembourg, however, collection rates stand at only around 60 to 75%.
If the European targets are not met, member states must introduce a deposit return system. But how easily could such a system be implemented in Luxembourg?
Under such a scheme, consumers can keep their bottles or can, return it to the shop, and receive part of their money back. The system has been in place with Luxembourg’s German neighbours for over 20 years, and glass bottle deposit schemes are already familiar in the Grand Duchy. When it comes to plastic bottles and cans, however, matters are more complex.
Luxembourg faces particular challenges with a deposit system because most drinks sold in the country come from Belgium, Claude Turping, Valorlux director, explained. "According to our estimates, 90 percent of what is consumed here comes from Belgium," he said, adding that introducing such a system nationally would either require every bottle to be relabelled before reaching shelves or that all bottles of a given type be accepted within the system.
This would mean that cross-border workers and tourists could bring bottles from home and exchange them for a deposit refund in Luxembourg.
Within the beverage sector, there is no categorical opposition to a deposit system, but industry figures stress that many questions remain unresolved. Fabien Cesarini, head of Drinx shops and marketing at distributor Munhowen, gives an example
Unlike returnable glass crates, which can be stacked and stored until collection, used plastic bottles create storage problems as they are bulky and not designed to be kept once emptied. That leaves shops and distributors unsure how to handle the bottles between the moment customers return them and the moment a recycling partner collects them. "If this transition were to take place today, we would be in complete uncertainty," said Fabien Cesarini, head of Drinx shops and marketing at distributor Munhowen.
Both Valorlux and Munhowen also highlight the high costs involved. A machine into which bottles can be returned costs around €40,000, according to Turping. To establish a network similar to Germany’s, some 350 machines would be needed, distinct from those already used for glass bottles.
Munhowen places particular emphasis on glass bottles, which are increasingly being accepted by customers, notes managing director Isabelle Lentz:
"What we as a company are doing is simply putting more emphasis on reusable and on glass, because people are becoming more and more responsible. They know and are aware that reusable glass is extremely ecological, and of course these are also short local circuits, which is naturally very positive for the environment."
Reusable bottles already account for around half of the total volume. At the same time, the company remains pragmatic: if a deposit system were to be introduced, it could be implemented relatively quickly.
In the short term, however, such a system seems unlikely. When calculating the collection rate of single-use plastic, Luxembourg deducts the plastic sent abroad. Two calculation methods exist, each producing different results. It may therefore be that the method with the more favourable outcome will be applied.
