The deposit system for disposable plastic and metal drinks bottles was introduced in Austria in 2025.
The amount of 25 cents encourages the collection and sorting of the various types of beverage packaging. After six months of introduction, the results are positive – according to Recycling Pfand GmbH, 357 million containers have already been returned.
This increased the collection rate to just under 80%, which is in line with EU requirements.
Thanks to the better and, above all, purer collection rate, it is possible to use energy more efficiently for recycling processes and, in addition, fewer bottles or cans end up in unwanted places in nature. This makes the deposit system a further building block on the road to the Austrian circular economy.
