Every day we round up the most important deposit return news from Europe: from system operators, governments and trade media. Briefly summarised in your own language, with a link to the source.
Portugal: Volta deposit return system reaches 417 million containers in almost six months
Portugal's Volta deposit return system, launched in April, has now collected more than 417 million bottles and cans. Consumers have been refunded a total of €41.7 million in deposits (10 cents per item). Environmental group Zero calls it a learning curve: the system works but still needs fine-tuning, partly because of complaints about litter around return points.
Poland considers making deposit vouchers valid for 90 days
Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment is considering requiring shops to keep vouchers from return machines valid for at least 90 days; the current minimum is 30 days and each retailer sets its own period. Consumers currently sometimes lose their deposit when a voucher expires. The ministry is also preparing to extend the system to single-use glass bottles, with a transition period of about two years.
Poland: no deposit exemption for airport duty-free shops
Travellers buying drinks in duty-free shops at Polish airports pay a deposit but can hardly reclaim it on departure, as there are no return points there. Deputy Minister Anita Sowińska says no exemption is planned, because it would make the system more complex and more vulnerable to fraud. Instead, the ministry wants retailers and airports to set up return points, including before security.
Bulgaria promises open consultation on deposit return law after criticism
After criticism of how Bulgaria notified its new deposit return law to the European Commission, the environment ministry says the rest of the process will be open and transparent. According to minister Karamfilova, the state will act as guarantor of the scheme rather than its operator. The draft will be published and discussed with producers, retailers, municipalities and civil society before it goes to parliament.
Germany: plastic deposit bottles now contain 58% recycled material
In Germany, PET drinks bottles contained around 58% recycled plastic on average in 2025, up from 51% in 2023 and 34% in 2019. That is well above the EU minimum of 25% and also beyond the 30% target for 2030. Environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe adds a caveat: only about 34.5% of drinks are sold in refillable bottles, against a statutory target of 70%.
Portugal: deposit scheme operator Volta says municipalities share responsibility for street litter
SDR Portugal, operator of Portugal's Volta deposit return scheme, will respond to the environment minister's demand for a plan against litter around bins by 16 October. It stresses, however, that it has no authority over public space and that the solution lies mainly with municipalities, though it can compensate them for clean-up costs as the law allows. Only 8 of the 50 planned large return kiosks are in place, and mayors in Lisbon, Porto and Faro, among others, complain about too few return points.
United Kingdom: one year to go until the deposit return scheme starts on 1 October 2027
On 1 October 2027 England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will launch a single joint deposit return scheme, with a 20p deposit on plastic bottles and cans. Operator Exchange for Change, set up in early 2025 and now over 50 staff strong, has set the material specifications, the requirements for return machines and the handling fee for retailers. The targets are 70% collection in year one, 80% in year two and 90% in year three.
UK: drinks filled before the DRS launch may still be sold afterwards
Exchange for Change, the operator of the UK deposit return scheme starting on 1 October 2027 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has set out its transition arrangements. Drinks filled before launch may still be sold afterwards without a deposit; industry is asked to sell through that stock by April 2028. Containers filled after launch must carry the deposit logo and a registered barcode; arrangements for Wales will follow later.
Greece: business plan puts deposit return scheme costs at around €900 million over five years
DRS Hellas, the operator of Greece's future deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans, estimates costs for 2027–2031 at around €900 million in its business plan. The plan is still being assessed by the government, although tenders for the infrastructure are already under way. With an expected return rate of 63% on some 4.4 billion containers in 2027, roughly €180 million a year in deposits would go unclaimed.
Bulgaria: new draft law gives the state a 34% stake in the deposit return operator
On 29 September Bulgaria's environment ministry notified the European Commission of a new version of its law for a national deposit return scheme for drinks containers. Under it, the state would hold 34% of the scheme operator, giving it a blocking vote; earlier drafts left the operator to producers and retailers. A three-month standstill now applies, during which the Commission and other member states can comment; the draft did not go through public consultation in Bulgaria first.
Poland plans to extend deposit return to single-use glass bottles
Poland's climate ministry plans to bring single-use glass bottles, including small spirits bottles, into the deposit return system, with a transition period of about two years expected. In its first year (launched 1 October 2025) the scheme took back around 5 billion bottles and cans, with monthly returns rising from 480 million in April to 900 million. The government is aiming for a 77% collection rate this year.
UK: collection and processing network for deposit return scheme confirmed
Exchange for Change, operator of the UK deposit return scheme launching in October 2027, has selected five waste management firms through a tender to collect and process containers, each covering its own region. Dedicated processing sites in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland will be ready at launch, with three new purpose-built plants following in 2030. Around 400 collection vehicles and some 700 new jobs are involved.
Portugal: government gives deposit scheme operator two weeks to tackle street litter
Portugal's environment minister has written to SDR Portugal, the operator of the Volta deposit return scheme, giving it until 16 October to submit an action plan. The trigger is people rummaging through bins and containers for deposit-bearing packaging, leaving litter on the streets, particularly in Lisbon. The plan must include more return points, awareness campaigns and lessons from other European countries; the minister also noted that by law the operator must contribute to the cost of cleaning streets and beaches.
Amsterdam installs litter bins with a separate compartment for deposit containers
Over the coming weeks, Amsterdam will put up 200 new litter bins, first behind Central Station and then in places including the Vondelpark and on Osdorpplein. The bins have a self-closing door and a separate compartment for deposit bottles and cans, so that collectors no longer tear open the rubbish bags. In a test, the door stayed shut on 83% of the new bins, compared with 38% of the current ones.
Readers: deposit return only works if buyers reclaim it themselves
In the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant, readers respond to the debate on the deposit return system. The gist: the system is only a success if buyers return their empty bottles and cans themselves and collect their deposit.
Poland: deposit scheme a success after one year, but glass is still left out
A year after launch, Poland's deposit return scheme has around 60,000 return points and more than 3.2 billion bottles and cans have been returned; 74% of Poles take part. Experts point to a gap: over 500 million single-use glass bottles a year fall outside the scheme. They call for adding glass, cutting exemptions and publishing the scheme's figures.
UK: registration for the deposit return scheme opens
Since 29 September, producers and retailers in the UK have been able to register with Exchange for Change, the administrator of the deposit return scheme due to launch in October 2027. This first phase asks only for basic details; a second, more detailed phase follows in January 2027. Urban shops under 100 m² are automatically exempt from taking returns, and shops up to 200 m² can apply for an exemption under certain conditions.
New prize draw: scan your deposit receipt for a chance to win
Verpact and Statiegeld Nederland are launching a nationwide promotion running until 14 February 2027. Anyone who returns containers at a participating supermarket and scans the deposit receipt in the Statiegeld App gets a free ticket for each container; €10,000 in prizes is drawn every two weeks. The deposit itself is still refunded as normal.
Portugal: 400 million containers returned through the Volta deposit scheme
Portugal's deposit return scheme Volta, launched on 10 April, has taken back more than 400 million bottles and cans in under six months. Operator SDR Portugal has put a public online counter on volta.com.pt that is updated daily. Only 8 of the 50 planned large return kiosks are in place so far; for the rest, the operator is waiting on permission and space from municipalities. The target is 90% collection by the end of 2029.
Spain plans to introduce a deposit of at least €0.10 on plastic bottles and cans, known as the SDDR. The regulations set November 2026 as the start date, but the sector expects that date to be missed. In 2023, Spain collected only 41.3% of plastic drinks bottles separately, far below the European target of 90% by 2029.
Portugal: government sticks with Volta deposit return scheme
Portugal's environment minister rejected the Mayor of Lisbon's call to scrap the Volta deposit return scheme. According to her, the scheme is required under EU rules and has already reached a 44% collection rate since its launch on 10 April, above the annual target of 40%. The government is looking for other solutions to the nuisance around collection points.
Consumentenbond: mandatory take-back of deposit containers is badly needed
The Consumentenbond, the Dutch consumers' association, backs the government's plan to require shops to take back deposit containers from 1 January 2028. In 2025, 78% of plastic bottles and 86% of cans were returned, short of the 90% target, and €129 million in deposits went unclaimed. In Germany, where take-back is already mandatory, the return rate is above 95%.
A second Statiegeld Retourshop has opened on the Osdorpplein in Amsterdam. As well as bottles and cans, it accepts textiles, small electrical appliances, rigid plastic packaging and drinks cartons. The shop works with Milieuwerk and provides jobs for people who face barriers to the labour market.
Reconstruction: how the deposit lottery came about instead of a higher deposit
NOS describes how the ministry and drinks producers came up with a lottery as an alternative to doubling the deposit, which the regulator ILT (the Dutch environment inspectorate) had demanded. According to the reconstruction, the inspectorate was largely kept out of the talks. Anyone who receives their refund digitally can put their deposit towards a lottery ticket.
Government wants to simplify deposit return from 2028
The Dutch government proposes charging a deposit on all plastic bottles up to 3 litres from 1 January 2028, including dairy and juice. Shops will be required to take back containers depending on their size, and shops of 200 m² or more must also be able to pay out deposits in cash. The aim is for the Netherlands to reach the European 90% collection target well before 2029.
Enschede return shop handles an average of 7,000 containers a day
In its first month, the Statiegeld Retourshop in Enschede-Zuid processed an average of 7,000 bottles and cans a day. It has two standard reverse vending machines and a bulk machine that accepts up to 100 containers at once, and it is open every day from 8 am to 8 pm. Refunds can be paid in cash, via Tikkie or as a donation.
Ireland's deposit return scheme Re-turn took back 1.43 billion bottles and cans in 2025, a return rate of 76.4%. €60.1 million in deposits went unclaimed; that money covers, among other things, handling fees for retailers and investment in the scheme. Litter from drinks containers has fallen by 55% since the scheme launched in 2024.
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