According to Sweden’s deposit return system (DRS) operator Returpack/Pantamera, over 3 billion PET bottles and aluminium cans were returned through the country’s DRS in 2025, 130 million more than the previous year.
The operator says that on average, every person in Sweden returned 283 containers, a 4% increase from 2024. It adds that Sweden’s return rate also rose to 88.4% percent, approaching the national target of 90%.
In 2025, Sweden’s deposit system reportedly delivered 27,826 metric tonnes of aluminium and 24,835 metric tonnes of PET to material buyers. Returpack/Pantamera states that when PET bottles and aluminium cans are returned through the deposit system instead of general packaging recycling, it reduces the carbon footprint by half.
The data highlights the growing role of high-capacity reverse vending machines, which allow entire bags of containers to be emptied at once. These machines represent 14% of all reverse vending machines and account for 45% of total volume. Returpack/Pantamera claims that iIn areas where retailers install them, return volumes consistently increase.
The operator adds that Sweden has collected more than 55 billion bottles and cans to date, due to its collaborations with beverage producers, retailers and consumers.
In 2025 the operator announced plans to increase deposits on aluminium cans and small and large PET bottles, aiming to make it more attractive for consumers to sort materials properly to benefit the climate and environment. Returpack/Pantamera claimed 2.7 billion packages were deposited and returned to the recycling loop in 2023, corresponding to a deposit rate of 88.5 percent and saving 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
In related news, last May Aldi Hungary revealed that consumers had returned around 140 million items of single-use packaging via in-store REpont machines, equating to a daily average of 3,000+ plastic, aluminium, and glass bottles per store. The retailer said that every eleventh bottle returned under the nationwide DRS was returned to an Aldi store.
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