Fines for bottle hunters in the car wash? 'If you do nothing, they will demolish everything

No more cash

The number of bottle hunters at car washes is increasing rapidly. Car washes that do not cooperate with bottle hunters risk vandalism. The sector wants to see more enforcement

Sector agrees

The sector also wants to make it a criminal offense to scavenge for deposit bottles. States Secretary Heijnen of Infrastructure and Water Management has admitted that the problem is growing. Enforcement should be stepped up and the government should increase the fine for scavenging deposit bottles.

Faced with aggression

Car wash owner Richard Pouw from Apeldoorn is regularly confronted with bottle hunters. "They are often aggressive and threatening. If I say something, they will break my windows or slash my tires," he says.

Damage

Pouw is not the only one struggling with the problem. Car wash owner Marco van der Wel from Ede has also been dealing with bottle hunters for years. "They tear open trash cans, litter everything and even break into cars.

Fines

If the bill is passed, the police will be able to issue on-the-spot fines of 150 euros to bottle scavengers.

Increase

The number of plastic bottles returned in the Netherlands has increased by 65 percent in three years. In 2022, a total of 1.4 billion plastic bottles were returned through the deposit system.