Do you also have to pay a plastic surcharge in supermarkets?
Well, honestly — this really surprises me. As you probably know, from 1 July a surcharge per plastic container became mandatory for takeaway food, among other things. Not for supermarkets, though, yet it is now appearing on receipts there too. At least, that is the case at Vomar in Amsterdam, and people shared their surprise about it on Facebook.
And the reactions were already full of disbelief. After all, in a supermarket you do not have the option of taking an alternative for the product. In this case, it was chocolate mousse, for example… How else are you supposed to take that with you?
Plastic surcharge: where is the line?
This Vomar customer had also bought a steak, which also comes in plastic packaging — but no extra charge is applied for that. Obviously, it is not about the amount of the charge (it is only one cent), but it is nevertheless striking.
A response to this post explains that the distinction is made based on products that can be eaten immediately. A steak still needs to be cooked, so there is no surcharge, but something like chocolate mousse or yoghurt can be eaten right away, so there is a surcharge.
The most important question: is this even allowed?
No, according to the Dutch government, this is not allowed at all. A location charging this surcharge is required to offer a reusable alternative. Now, I have to admit that I have not yet seen this as an option at snack bars either (many will not even accept it if you bring your own container because of hygiene concerns), but at supermarkets it seems virtually impossible to offer an alternative to chocolate mousse that is still in its packaging.
It is therefore striking that Vomar is doing this, and unfortunately they have not yet responded. Are we now going to see this at more supermarkets?
Also read:
