Austria’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is finishing its first year with a reported 1.2 billion PET bottles and aluminium cans returned by the end of November. The country introduced its nationwide DRS on 1st January 2025, applying a €0.25 deposit to single-use beverage containers from 0.1 to 3 litres.
EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich, the national DRS operator, and Sensoneo, the scheme’s core technology partner, are preparing the next stage of system enhancements targeting convenience, accessibility, and environmental impact. EWP was established at the end of 2022 and started in 2023, with formal regulations issued in September 2023.
According to Sensoneo, early market data shows that 75% of consumers support the system, citing reduced littering and improved recycling as key motivations, while the improvements in cleanliness and recycling consistency have been recorded across the country. Weekly returns increased steadily during the initial months of operation, with the system stabilising at 7–9 million units collected per week.
EWP states that it expects to meet the country’s 80% return-rate target by the end of the year, with the final yearly performance figure to be released in January. The operator plans to further optimize the system’s convenience and provide clearer consumer guidance, seeking to educate the public on the difference between the previous approach to recycling versus the current one.
Upcoming initiatives include more manual collection points to support smaller retailers and broaden system accessibility; exploring public return points to increase convenience and introducing designated drop-off containers enabling citizens to leave bottles and cans to donate them for social purposes.
In April this year, Sensoneo reported that Ireland’s DRS, introduced last year for single-use beverage packaging, had collected over 1 billion containers via the scheme. The company is the IT solution provider for the system, which applies a deposit of 15 cents to containers between 150ml and 500ml, and a deposit of 25 cents to containers over 500ml up to 3 litres.
In related news, TOMRA installed DRS machines in the town of Sangüesa, Navarra in Spain this summer, as part of a government trial of DRS for drinks container recycling. Eligible drinks have a €0.10 deposit, which is refunded when the container is returned for recycling to a reverse vending machine.
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