New deposit system since January 1: One million bottles and cans have already returned

Spread the love

Read Time:1 Minute, 45 Second

Since 1 January, around one million deposit containers have been returned following the introduction of the deposit system for all plastic bottles and metal cans with a capacity of 0.1 to three liters.

How the take-back works
At the end of January, around 25 million returnable containers were already in circulation. “We expect that a large number of beverage containers with a deposit will already be in circulation from March,” said Monika Fiala and Simon Parth, Managing Directors of Recycling Pfand Österreich.

2025 is a transitional year: containers without a deposit logo may still be sold throughout the year, provided they were produced before March 31, 2025, and both deposit and non-deposit packaging will be circulated. “The aim of the transition period is to largely use up old packaging and labels and not have to destroy them, thereby saving resources,” a press release on Thursday stated.

Single-use deposit system: high acceptance among the population
Consumers can currently still find a smaller selection of deposit containers on the shelves. However, this number will increase steadily in the coming weeks and months.

A recent survey conducted by marketagent on behalf of Recycling Pfand Österreich also showed broad acceptance of the single-use deposit system among the population. “According to the survey, 80 percent of Austrians favour the system. The contribution to environmental protection is rated particularly positively: 68% see the greatest advantage in the fact that fewer bottles and cans are carelessly disposed of in nature,” it said. In addition, 66% welcomed the fact that new packaging is made from old drinks packaging, and the materials are kept in the cycle.

11,400 take-back points in Austria
Just under 1,500 products are registered in the system, corresponding to around 98 percent of the volume put into circulation each year. Over 11,400 return points are available to consumers across Austria, including around 6,000 reverse vending machines. “With one of the highest supermarket densities in Europe, Austria also has one of the highest densities of reverse vending machines,” says Recycling Pfand Österreich’s management.