Hungary's deposit return scheme now entering new era with end of transition period
Hungary started its environmental transformation with the launch of its deposit return system (DRS) on 1 January 2024. On 1 July, Hungary entered the next phase for its DRS, with the end of its six-month transition period, during which time drink producers could place on the market beverage packaging both with and without deposit markings. From 1 July, only properly marked and registered drink containers can be available for consumer purchase, so now the DRS is fully in place and prepared to take on the challenge of enhancing Hungary’s environmental efforts.
The introduction of the DRS is a significant step forward in Hungary’s waste management strategy. Historically, Hungary faced challenges with low recycling rates and pervasive littering. According to the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, less than 30% of plastic beverage containers were recycled in 2022. With the new DRS, Hungary aims to recycle over 90% of its plastic beverage containers by 2029, reflecting a commitment to a circular economy and reducing waste, and on track with the targets set out by the European Union (EU) Single-Use Plastics Directive.
TOMRA Collection Hungary has been pivotal in setting up the DRS infrastructure. With extensive experience from similar projects in Slovakia, Lithuania and other countries, TOMRA Collection has tailored its technology and expertise to meet Hungary’s unique requirements.
At the end of the transition period, Hungary has already collected 8 million beverage containers. Our goal is to ensure the seamless function of the deposit return system, providing convenient and efficient recycling options for consumers across Hungary.
TOMRA has already deployed over 1500 reverse vending machines across Hungary in various formats of stores – mostly supermarkets and hypermarkets. “TOMRA’s RVMs are designed to handle a high volume of returns, accurately identify and sort different types of containers, and provide instant deposit refunds,” continues Dávid Bakos.
The implementation of the DRS is expected to bring numerous environmental benefits. By significantly increasing recycling rates, the system will help reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills and decrease littering. This aligns with Hungary’s goals under the European Green Deal and the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan.
The end of the DRS's transition period marks a significant milestone in the country’s environmental efforts. With TOMRA’s expertise and innovative technology, the DRS can improve recycling rates but also foster a culture of environmental responsibility. One of the goals is to reach 77% collection rate in 2025 given by the Single-Use Plastic Directive.
“Our current team consists of 35 people, field service technicians, online technicians and the team in back-office and administration,” concludes Dávid Bakos.
I’m very glad and thankful to cooperate with the great team and bring the best possible results for the Hungarian DRS in upcoming years. We are focusing on optimization of all processes to bring smooth and convenient return option at stores with our RVMs. The whole team is working on it every day, and we are gaining our own local insights and valuable experiences. I’m looking forward to future months and years of our joint efforts across all of Hungary.
About TOMRA Collection:
TOMRA Collection provides reverse vending machines for Clean Loop Recycling, to transform society’s habits and keep valuable resources in a continuous loop of use and reuse. The company’s solutions collect aluminum, plastic and glass beverage containers to be continually reused and recycled back into new bottles and cans. With approximately 85,000 installations across more than 60 markets, TOMRA reverse vending machines capture over 46 billion used bottles and cans each year. This reduces reliance on raw materials, and ensures fewer containers end up in our streets, oceans and landfills. TOMRA’s reverse vending machines, digital solutions and service make recycling easy for the industry, system owners, retailers and consumers to contribute to a more sustainable planet. Visit our Reverse Vending pages on tomra.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
TOMRA Collection is a division of TOMRA Group. Today, TOMRA is leading the resource revolution to transform how the planet’s resources are obtained, used and reused to enable a world without waste. The company’s other business divisions comprise TOMRA Food and TOMRA Recycling. The Group employs approximately 5,300 people globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.