TOMRA Collection, global provider of reverse vending solutions, opens office in Athens, Greece

Image of TOMRA Athens office

TOMRA Collection, the global leader in reverse vending technology, has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving a circular economy in Greece with the official opening of a new office in Athens. This milestone marks a significant step forward in TOMRA's mission to support Greece in attaining circularity through an efficient deposit return scheme (DRS) and innovative solutions for collecting used beverage containers for recycling.

Addressing plastic waste challenges in Greece

Greece faces an urgent challenge in managing plastic waste, with a significant portion still ending up in landfills. Through the transposition of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive into the national legislation, the Greek government is committed to introducing a DRS for recycling of beverage containers. This will mark a milestone in Greece’s sustainability path and will make the Hellenic Republic one of the first Mediterranean countries to implement such a system. A DRS will represent an opportunity for Greece’s tourism-driven economy, by protecting its pristine environment and increasing its overall circularity performance.

TOMRA's role in achieving circularity

Deposit return schemes, a cornerstone of TOMRA's expertise, have demonstrated their effectiveness in increasing the collection and recycling rates of beverage containers, thereby reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste.

These schemes operate by having consumers pay a small, refundable deposit on beverage containers at the point of sale. When consumers return the empty containers to designated locations, they receive their deposit back. In Norway – where TOMRA pioneered the first fully-automated reverse vending machines – the collection rate for plastic bottles is as high as 98%.

Beverage containers recycled through reverse vending machines are collected and sorted most effectively – without contamination from other types of waste. This ensures that they can be recycled into new bottles and cans again and again. TOMRA calls this process “Clean Loop Recycling”.

Get in touch with TOMRA Collection

Leveraging technology for a circular economy

TOMRA Collection’s advanced technology, with approximately 85,000 reverse vending machines deployed in over 60 markets worldwide, plays a crucial role in facilitating the transition to a circular economy. The new office in Athens will serve as a hub for TOMRA Collection's operations and showcase state-of-the-art reverse vending machines, emphasizing a rewarding recycling experience for consumers. By integrating digital services, TOMRA aims to make recycling easier and more engaging for all consumers.

"Although TOMRA’s reverse vending business has been active in Greece since the early 2000s, the entity TOMRA Collection Greece was established in January 2023 and has been operational since January 2024, taking over the responsibilities from distributor ALPE-TECH," said Tove Andersen, TOMRA’s President and CEO. 

Image right: Leonidas Gkioses (Service Manager), Thanasis Gkioses (Sales Manager) and Achilleas Gkikas (Product Expert)

Image of employees in TOMRA Athens office
TOMRA CEO returns drink container to TOMRA reverse vending machine

Now, TOMRA Collection is ready to leverage its expertise and decades of experience to accelerate Greece's journey towards circularity. By collaborating with stakeholders and leveraging innovative technologies, TOMRA aims to bring about meaningful change and promote a more circular economy in Greece and beyond.

TOMRA’s reverse vending business in Greece joins TOMRA’s existing presence through its Recycling Sorting division. For many years, TOMRA's Recycling Sorting business unit has successfully supported plant operators and contractors in achieving increased recycling rates, recovery, and diversion of valuable resources from landfills. The company’s advanced sorting systems are crucial to producing high-quality recyclates. With the addition of new Collection activities, TOMRA's reverse vending and sorting technology now offers a powerful combination to further support Greece's path towards greater material circularity.
 

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 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.