Slovakia launches new deposit return system

In Slovakia, a new deposit return system for cans and plastic bottles kicked off on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Designed to encourage the recycling of empty drink containers, the new programme addresses both the issue of beverage container litter and will contribute to meeting the European Union’s targets for the collection of plastic beverage bottles.

By separating bottles and cans for recycling through a deposit system, beverage containers are collected without contamination from other types of waste in a household recycling bin. This ensures containers can be recycled into new bottles and cans,

Moreover, the implementation of such schemes elsewhere has led to reductions in beverage litter of between 30-84%, depending on the deposit value. High-performing deposit return schemes routinely collect 90% or more of containers for recycling.    

With approximately 1.3 billion drink containers sold each year in Slovakia, the target is to collect at least 60% of eligible containers for recycling by the end of 2022, and 90% by 2025. If successful, this would put Slovakia four years ahead of the targets in the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, which requires member states to separately collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2029.   

The deposit system covers almost all beverages in plastic bottles or cans with a volume of 0.1 to 3 litres, but does not include packaging for milk and milk drinks, syrups, and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 15%. All containers carry a deposit of €0.15; eligible containers are marked with a large Z symbol inside a recycling arrows icon. This symbol will be located near the container’s barcode, along with the text “ZALOHOVANE”, which means "deposit".   

The system in Slovakia will use a "return-to-retail" infrastructure: the containers can be returned for recycling to the grocery stores typically selling beverages. To that end, mandatory and voluntary collection points will be established and some 1700 reverse vending machines – an automated way to collect, sort and handle the return of used drink containers – will be installed at approximately 2000 stores in Slovakia.

For larger grocery retailers, with an area of more than 300 m2, participation in the system is mandatory. In most cases, these stores have opted to instal an automated reverse vending machine. Smaller stores may participate voluntarily in the programme. At these smaller shops, the containers can be returned at the cash register, where they will be scanned by hand.

A recent survey showed that almost 86% of the population in Slovakia supported the local deposit return system legislation.    

"It is exciting to see the deposit return system launch this week in Slovakia, to have in place the framework for our common goal to keep millions of bottles out of landfills and out of nature," said Roman Postl, Managing Director of Tomra Collection Slovakia. Tomra Collection is the world’s largest provider of reverse vending machines for recycling, with experience and expertise that goes back 50 years. Among others, the company has installed its machines in approximately 140 Tesco stores throughout the country. ”We would like to congratulate the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic on this important milestone, which will help prevent beverage container litter in Slovakia, and move Slovakia toward a true circular economy,” said Postl.