It’s called “panting” in Norway, but it has nothing to do with losing one’s breath. Rather it’s the customary practice of returning bottles to either get a refund for the pant (deposit) paid on purchase, or donate it to charity, and it’s now rising for the first time in more than 25 years.
The pant (roughly pronounced “pawnt”) used to apply only to glass bottles but it’s long been used for both plastic bottles and canned drinks, too. Now the pant amount is doubling, from NOK 1 to NOK 2 for all half-liter plastic bottles and beer cans. The pant is also rising to NOK 3 for all “pant-able” plastic bottles over a half-liter.
Consumers are charged the pant on purchase and can get the money back if they take the time to return bottles to the pant-automater inside most grocery stores. Fully 86 percent of all bottles and drink cans are now returned, but authorities hope the higher fees will encourage more people to return bottles for recycling.
newsinenglish.no staff
