{
  "id": 1923134,
  "title": "Criminals cashing in on black market for non-deposit cans",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/criminals-cashing-in-on-black-market-for-non-deposit-cans",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T11:20:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DutchNews",
    "slug": "dutchnews",
    "url": "https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/08/criminals-cashing-in-on-black-market-for-non-deposit-cans/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dutch criminals are raking in millions by smuggling canned drinks to circumvent the country's deposit return system. This illicit trade emerged after the Dutch government introduced a mandatory 15 cent deposit on all drinks cans in 2023 as part of its waste reduction initiative. The ILT, the environmental standards inspectorate, estimates that up to 50 million illegally imported bottles are sold annually, frequently through restaurants and cafes that source them from illegal traders. Despite the Netherlands' strict stance on importing canned drinks, the act of purchasing and selling them after crossing the border is not considered a criminal offense, making the cans a lucrative choice for businesses seeking to avoid the costs and logistical challenges of recycling. Soft drinks primarily come from Germany and Denmark, while beer is more commonly imported from Poland, all of which are Schengen zone members, allowing for seamless border crossings. Consequently, the cans often find their way to landfills or as litter, hindering the government's attempts to meet its recycling objectives. According to Edwin van Houten, the acting inspector-general of the ILT, \"It's an illegal trade. They come into contact with organized crime because there's a huge amount of money to be earned from avoiding the rules. It runs into the millions of euros.\" Despite conducting 500 inspections last year and issuing warnings to 90 companies, only five were fined. Van Houten expressed that enforcing these rules is challenging due to the fact that only importation is prohibited. He added, \"It's a drop in the ocean and it costs a lot of capacity because we need to do far-reaching, deep investigations.\"",
  "summary": "Criminal gangs are earning millions by importing canned drinks to bypass the Dutch deposit return system. The black market has...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}