Deposit return systems

On March 2nd, 2022, more than 170 states endorsed the beginning of negotiations for a legally binding UN treaty on plastic pollution. A global agreement that will address the full lifecycle of plastic, from design and production to waste management and beyond. This is an historic step on the road towards staving off an environmental disaster, but not the last.

At TOMRA, we believe these negotiations should include effective measures to prevent plastic packaging from being littered, burned, and buried in landfills. High performing Deposit Return Systems significantly accelerate the circularity of beverage containers like plastic bottles and aluminum cans, with recovery rates of 90% and above. As such, these systems stand well above many other measures in keeping plastic in circulation and out of the environment.

And beverage containers are the most ubiquitous form of plastic pollution. Demand for these containers shows no sign of slowing down but, while there is no silver bullet to tackle the problem, there is an holistic approach we can take. An approach which includes tried and tested solutions, technological innovation, and a dedicated international legal framework to facilitate global participation.

DRS enables us to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy where used beverage containers are not wasted, but kept in circulation for as long as possible, then fed back into the system, again and again. Not only does DRS prevent litter and reduce the number of raw materials used in beverage containers, but it rewards consumers for playing their part. Win-win-win.

Consumers are moving away from throwaway culture and single-use plastics. Industrial sectors and waste management companies now see waste as a resource with the potential to create new revenue streams. Society and markets understand and embrace efforts to keep materials in the loop for as long as possible.

Incentivized return → increased collection

DRS works by adding a deposit on top of the price of a beverage bottle or can. Incentives like this tell consumers that their containers have value. The financial reward also increases the chances of those customers returning their used containers. Once these containers are returned, beverage distributors can ensure that they are collected and recycled. The success of such a system depends on the deposit value. The more the deposit, the higher the chances of return.

Separate collection of plastic bottles and cans → no contamination

Through a DRS, bottles and cans are separated for recycling using reverse vending machines (user-friendly machines with advanced sensors that recognize the unique properties of containers and prevent fraud in the system). Because of this, beverage containers are collected without contamination from other types of waste in household recycling bins.

No contamination → bottle to bottle recycling

Without contamination, containers can be most efficiently recycled into new bottles and cans. In this way, DRS provides the beverage industry, who struggle to manufacture containers with more recycled content due to a lack of high-quality, food-grade material, with optimal resources for the re-production of containers.

In fact, the higher the collection rate, the higher the quality of the materials in the loop, meaning the more times that material can be used in new containers. For every 100 virgin bottles produced, a DRS with a 90% collection rate makes it possible to produce a total of 208 bottles! In Germany, the collection rate stands at 98%.

Increased bottle to bottle recycling → less reliance on raw materials

Because more bottles are created using recycled material, the number of raw materials used decreases substantially, thus slowing down our reliance on those raw materials to produce new beverage containers.

Fewer raw materials used → less CO2 emitted

Recycled bottles and cans have a

much smaller carbon footprint than

those made from raw materials. In

fact, recycling saves up to 80% of the

energy used to extract and process

raw materials. When recycled materials replace raw materials in container

production, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with creating new

beverage containers drop significantly.

The fact is, regulations aren’t coordinated across nations, and they lack a focus on the full lifecycle of plastics. What's more, many large polluters still do not have regulations at all. At the same time, businesses struggle with a fragmented and unpredictable policy landscape that makes it difficult to plan effectively and act efficiently. There are no uniform global standards or policies that guide the industry. That needs to change for DRS to become even more effective.

Inclusion in the UN Treaty would:

1. Provide clear definitions of key terms (example: packaging, single-use, recyclable, reusable, etc.).

2. Provide clear standards and compliance metrics (example: transparent reporting, progress measurements, data collection, etc.) across the value chain.

3. Provide clear targets and coordinated action plans across the plastic value chain.

4. Ensure global participation, from brand owners all the way to consumers.