Austrian DRS launches

Imaga: Tomra

Austria’s new deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drink packaging made of PET bottles and aluminium cans launched on 1 January 2025. This extends the existing regulation on reusable beverage packaging, and sees Austria become the 17th country in Europe to implement a DRS for recycling single-use drink containers.

Austria’s new DRS aims to promote a circular economy, slash litter, and meet the requirements of the Single-Use Plastics Directive to achieve higher collection rates. The DRS includes PET bottles and metal cans, from 0.1 liters to 3 litres in size. Consumers pay a deposit of €0.25, which is refunded when they return the empty drink container for recycling to a store selling deposit-eligible containers or other high-traffic areas.

Tor Martin Myrhaug, managing director for Tomra Collection Austria, commented: “The new disposable deposit regulation is a great opportunity for Austria. With every bottle and can returned, everyone in the country can make a contribution to conserving resources and reduce litter and waste. The retail sector has put a lot of energy into creating the appropriate infrastructure for this in recent months, and we are grateful for every solution that we have been able to implement. Now we have the chance to be part of a significant change together!”

The new single-use DRS has a clear goal: plastic and metal packaging should not end up as waste, but should be collected, recycled, and processed into new bottles and cans. This can create a closed loop where drink containers can be turned into new bottles again and again, in what Tomra calls Clean Loop Recycling.

A closed loop reduces dependence on new materials and significantly lowers the CO₂ footprint in producing new containers. The financial incentive to return containers in a DRS also reduces the waste burden on nature, as containers are less likely to be littered, and any containers that are littered are more likely to be picked up.

Austria has set a goal for the single-use DRS to achieving a return rate of at least 90% by 2027, ahead of the Single-Use Plastics Directive’s requirement to achieve 90% return rates by 2029. The 90% targets means that around 2.2 billion beverage containers will be recycled – a contribution that is only possible through cooperation between the DRS operator, retailers and consumers.

According to a study commissioned by Tomra Collection Austria in 2024, people are positive about the DRS, with 82% of respondents in favour of the new system. Clean cities and high-quality recycling processes are goals of the new legislation.

 

*A transitional period applies until 31 December 2025. During this period, bottles must be labelled twice to avoid consumer confusion. Packaging without a deposit can still be disposed of in the yellow bag during this time.

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