Bottle Deposit Systems Around the World: Where They Exist, How Much the Deposit Is, and Why Returning Bottles Pays Off

A deposit return scheme (DRS) works simply: when you buy a drink, you pay a small deposit, and when you return the empty bottle or can, you get your money back. The goal is to achieve high return rates for containers and keep the material in circulation instead of ending up in landfills or as litter. Under the Single-Use Plastics Directive, the European Union requires countries to collect 77% of plastic bottles by 2025 and 90% by 2029; it also mandates minimum recycled content in new bottles. These targets are why deposit systems across Europe are expanding and being modernized.

Where deposit systems are in place today

Deposit systems are already running across most of Northern and Western Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the Baltic states, Croatia, Slovakia, Ireland, Malta), and they are gradually spreading to Southern and Eastern Europe as well. Overviews show that in 2024/2025, several dozen jurisdictions worldwide have implemented or approved a DRS, including Australia and multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The current “Global Deposit Book 2024” maps the parameters and results of these systems.

How much the deposit is: examples from around the world (in euros)

The deposit amount varies by country, and often also by the size or type of container. A higher deposit usually means a higher return rate.

• Germany: €0.25 for most single-use plastic bottles and cans.
• Slovakia: €0.15 as a flat rate for PET bottles and cans.
• Norway: about €0.17 (≤0.5 l) and €0.25 (>0.5 l) — officially in NOK, shown here as a conversion.
• Finland: €0.10 / €0.20 / €0.40 depending on PET size; glass €0.10.
• The Netherlands: small PET €0.15; large PET €0.25; cans €0.15.
• Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia: typically €0.10.
• Croatia: about €0.07 (historically 0.50 HRK).
• Ireland: €0.15 (≤500 ml) and €0.25 (0.5–3 l).

Records and reality: how many bottles per person

The best-performing systems achieve return rates above 90%. Norway has long been a benchmark: in 2024, operator Infinitum reported a 93% return rate and an overall collection rate of 98%. With around 1.673 billion containers sold per year, that works out to roughly 300 beverage containers per person and about 279 containers returned per person per year—a practical “per-capita record” in everyday reality, not a one-off outlier.

A strong pace is also shown by a fresh example from Ireland: after the system launched in February 2024, 630 million bottles and cans were returned by August. On an annualized basis, that translates to roughly hundreds of containers per resident per year once the system is running for a full year—evidence of how quickly people can adopt deposit returns.

How many “oceans” have we saved with deposits? An honest answer—with numbers

The number of “oceans saved” can’t be measured seriously, but the impact can be shown: international analyses indicate that DRS consistently reduces beverage containers in litter by 70–84% and overall litter by 34–47%. Moreover, the share of plastic bottles found in beach and street litter is about ~55% lower in regions with DRS than in those without it. Since IUCN estimates suggest ~14 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans every year, every percentage point reduction in leakage from beverage packaging carries real weight. Deposit systems aren’t a cure-all, but they are demonstrably among the most effective fast measures against plastic in the environment.

Slovakia: where we are today and where we’re headed

Slovakia launched its deposit system on 1 January 2022 with the goal of reaching a 90% return rate by 2025. In the first year alone, more than 820 million containers were collected (about a 71% return rate), and in 2023 the system administrator’s data showed a return rate of around 90–93%. In 2024, the return rate stabilized at around 90%—still in line with the EU target. The deposit is a flat €0.15 for both PET bottles and cans.

How high the deposit should be to make people return containers

Data from many countries confirm a simple relationship: the higher the deposit, the higher the return rate—with a dense network of collection points and convenient in-store returns also playing a major role. It’s exactly the combination of clear financial motivation (€0.15–€0.25) and widely available return machines that explains why Germany, with a €0.25 deposit, and Norway, with an equivalent up to €0.25, have consistently stayed above 90% for years.

Why it’s worth returning bottles (even if the deposit is “only” a few cents)

Deposit returns save raw materials, energy, and emissions because cleanly sorted PET and aluminum can be recycled repeatedly into new bottles and cans. In practice, that means less waste on streets, fewer bottles dumped in nature, and more recycled content in the next bottle—something European legislation also requires. What’s more, in several countries unclaimed deposits help finance the operation of the system, making the whole mechanism cost-effective for the state and municipalities.

Quick overview: which countries motivate best

If you’re looking for a “gold standard,” look at Germany (€0.25 and ~98% return rates) and Norway (~€0.17–0.25 and ~93% return rates). Finland, the Baltic states, and the Netherlands also perform very well; the Netherlands has recently expanded its system to include small bottles and cans. The trend is clear: countries that introduce DRS see a rapid drop in litter and a steady rise in beverage-container recycling.

Watch a short video that motivates people to use deposits

Below you’ll find quick videos showing how it works in practice—both in Slovakia and abroad. These are short demonstrations that explain exactly why it makes sense to return every bottle.

How Norway returns up to 97% of bottles (in English):

Sources

1. European Commission – Single-use plastics: targets of 77%/90% and the recycled-content share — https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/plastics/single-use-plastics_en (Environment)
2. Directive (EU) 2019/904 – full text — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX%3A32019L0904 (EUR-Lex)
3. RELOOP – Deposit return systems: How they perform (fact sheet) — https://www.reloopplatform.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/RELOOP_Factsheet_Performance_May2024_Web.pdf (Reloop Platform)
4. RELOOP/CRI – DRS reduces litter by 70–84% (summary) — https://www.reloopplatform.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DRS-Litter-Fact-Sheet-Summary-14June2021.pdf (Reloop Platform)
5. IUCN (as cited in a Cleanhub overview) – 14 million tonnes of plastic per year into the oceans — https://blog.cleanhub.com/how-much-plastic-in-the-ocean (blog.cleanhub.com)
6. TOMRA – Norway: deposit of 2/3 NOK (~€0.17/0.25) and a 92–93% return rate — https://www.tomra.com/reverse-vending/media-center/feature-articles/norway-deposit-return-scheme (Tomra)
7. Infinitum – Annual report 2024: 93% return rate, 98% overall collection — https://infinitum.no/media/xzvju5sf/infinitum_a-rsrapport_2024_en.pdf (infinitum.no)
8. DPG (Germany) – mandatory €0.25 deposit on single-use containers — https://dpg-pfandsystem.de/en/the-one-way-deposit-system/the-dpg-deposit-process.html (DPG Pfandsystem)
9. Statiegeld Nederland – deposit policy: €0.15 small PET, €0.25 large PET, €0.15 cans — https://www.statiegeldnederland.nl/gm-files/policy-statiegeld-2024-en-02.pdf (statiegeldnederland.nl)
10. PALPA (Finland) – deposit values €0.10/0.20/0.40 — https://www.palpa.fi/for-consumers/what-kind-of-packaging-can-be-returned/ (palpa.fi)
11. Administrator of Slovakia’s deposit system – launch on 1 January 2022, deposit €0.15 — https://www.spravcazaloh.sk/en/(Správcazaloh)
12. Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic – first-year results in Slovakia (>70%) — https://www.minzp.sk/spravy/februar/vysledky-zalohovania-za-prvy-rok-prekonali-vsetky-ocakavania-navratnost-prekrocila-70.html (Ministry of the Environment)
13. Odpady-portal – 2024 return rate approximately 89.8% (stable around 90%) — https://www.odpady-portal.sk/Dokument/108571/zalohovanie-obaly-flase-plechovky-statistiky.aspx (Odpady Portal)
14. The Guardian – Ireland: 630 million containers returned in 8 months of 2024 — https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/ireland-first-bottle-deposit-return-scheme-reverse-vending-machines (The Guardian)
15. RELOOP – Global Deposit Book 2024 (overview of countries and DRS parameters) — https://www.reloopplatform.org/global-deposit-book-2024/ (Reloop Platform)