Under the new system, branded volta and managed by SDR Portugal, consumers will pay a €0.10 deposit when purchasing eligible drink containers, including PET plastic bottles as well as aluminum and steel cans (up to 3L), and receive a full refund when those containers are returned via designated collection points. Retail stores larger than 400 square meters are required to accept all packaging covered by the DRS, choosing between automatic or manual collection.
“Portugal’s DRS is a transformative step toward a cleaner environment and a more circular economy. By making it easy for citizens to return drink containers for recycling, we are reducing waste, improving material recovery, and accelerating the transition to a truly circular system.” - Paulo Borges Paulo Borges Managing Director at TOMRA Collection Portugal.
To power Portugal’s DRS with world-class collection technology, TOMRA Collection is providing its proven reverse vending solutions that make bottle and can returns fast, convenient and reliable for consumers, retailers and system operators alike. The company has over 50 years of experience in deposit return systems, over 91,000 reverse vending machines installed internationally, and collects over 53 billion drink containers annually.
