January 1, 2025 is the day! A one-way deposit on bottles and cans will be introduced in Austria. In our guest lecture series Roman Postl, Head of Business Unit East Central Europe at Tomra, highlighted the opportunities and challenges this project will bring for manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Every year, 46 of the 500 billion beverage containers placed on the market worldwide are collected by Tomra. Nevertheless, over 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year and ultimately find their way into our bodies through microplastics and nanoplastics.

The aim of introducing a single-use deposit is not only to prevent plastic and metal packaging from ending up in the environment, but also to recycle it to the highest possible quality. But what does a deposit system need to be successful in the long term? In addition to a clear legal framework, the technology of the collection and sorting machines, and the commitment of retailers and industry, convincing incentives must be created for consumers. These consist primarily of an appropriate deposit amount and convenient handling. It was fascinating to see the innovative solutions Tomra has developed for this.

Thank you very much for the informative presentation on this highly topical subject!