France drops plans for mandatory plastic bottle deposit

PARIS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - France dropped plans to make deposits on plastic bottles mandatory, instead proposing towns and cities set up voluntary schemes.

• No mandatory deposit system will be put in place, the French environment ministry said in a statement released on Friday.

• The decision not to enforce a deposit on plastic bottles follows a three-month consultation with towns and cities, plastic bottles companies and recycling companies, it said.

• In the European Union, a law aimed at reducing the environmental impact of packaging will ban single-use plastic packaging for most fresh fruits and vegetables under 1.5 kg from 2030. It also mandates that 10% of most drinks be sold in reusable packaging by 2030.

• EU member states such as Portugal have set up mandatory deposit systems for plastic bottles.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Alexander Smith)