Offering an easy, convenient exchange of recyclables for money, the reverse vending machine (RVM) is a streamlined, cost-effective way to boost recycling rates. Here, Refreshment magazine editor Bryony Andrews takes a closer look at both the possibilities RVMs offer for improving sustainable practices, and the current barriers to their implementation.

Used as the central element of a deposit return scheme (DRS), RVMs work by incentivising consumers to return empty, recyclable containers in exchange for a reward, which varies depending on the scheme. The ultimate aim is to reduce waste and move towards a circular economy.

Amid growing environmental concerns, RVMs are seeing increasing uptake throughout Europe, the US and Asia as a way to encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own recycling.

Research from circular economy non-profit Reloop shows that currently more than 20 million drinks containers are incinerated, sent to landfill or littered each day. Data from environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, meanwhile, has shown that more than 75% of litter by volume is the result of drinks consumption, with more than 8 billion containers wasted every year.

Incentivising the industry

Refreshment approached the British Soft Drinks Association (BDSA), which has long championed the DRS, to ask it to share some insight on the topic.

According to the BDSA, a “well-designed DRS” will improve the quality and increase the quantity of material collected.

“This, in turn, will support the aims of many producers to move to a more circular model for packaging, supporting bottle-to-bottle and can-to can recycling, and towards the circular economy we all want to see,” the BDSA told Refreshment.

However, it is not as simple as installing an RVM and watching the recyclables pour in. The BDSA warned that in order to truly achieve the aim of circularity for drinks containers, any DRS must be “industry-led, interoperable and function alongside other ongoing packaging measures”. In the UK, this would include the Plastic Packaging Tax, Extended Producer Responsibility and consistent household collections.

“We are pleased that recycling and recovery rates for drinks containers have increased over the years, but there’s still room for improvement,” the BDSA commented.

George Atkinson, head of policy at Valpak, a leading provider of environmental compliance and part of sustainable waste management company Reconomy, highlighted the side effect of creating a segregated waste management system as another, less obvious benefit of a DRS.

“[It] separates highly-valuable drinks container packaging from other materials,” he explained. “This segregation maximises the likelihood of these containers being recycled into high-quality material that can be reused in packaging.”

Furthermore, DRS systems essentially place a financial penalty on consumers who fail to return their drinks containers, Atkinson pointed out, effectively placing a value on the environmental damage of improper disposal.

“This is why such schemes that have been implemented across Europe have proven highly successful, with return rates reaching up to 98% in Germany and Scandinavia, where they have been in place for decades,” Atkinson stated. “These rates far exceed those achieved by the UK’s existing recycling systems.”

Innovation in RVMs

In our convenience-driven market, plastic production and consumption is an inevitability. Finding ways to keep recycling rates up, therefore, is a vital part of achieving environmental goals for industry and the public alike.

In countries without a unified, government-run DRS, the task of encouraging consumers to recycle at the point of purchase is being taken up by enterprising companies like RVM provider Cycle.

Cycle is a recycling platform that utilises RVMs to reward consumers for recycling their beverage containers. Its partners so far include sports stadiums, universities, concert venues and youth centres, with increasing interest in corporate settings too.

Originally founded by a group of students at the University of Miami, Cycle became part of waste management and sustainability provider Recycle Track Systems (RTS) in 2023.

The concept, co-founder Anwar Khan told Refreshment, is to incentivise recycling efforts by gamifying the process. Users insert their empties into the RVM and scan a QR code. Rewards are customised to the preferences of the site partner, and could be entry to a prize draw or a leaderboard, rewards and coupons for further purchases or speciality prizes such as tickets to a future sports game or a jersey

 Cycle’s RVMs also offer the advantage of scanning for contamination, crushing and pre-sorting recyclables, which helps simplify the logistics of disposal.

Global RVM manufacturer Tomra, meanwhile, has recently launched the Tomra R2, an RVM with a smaller footprint than its previous, larger iteration, the Tomra R1, to enable smaller retailers to offer a reverse vending service to their customers. Both the R1 and R2 models feature multi-feed returns, allowing users to pour more than 100 empty drink containers for recycling into the RVM in one go.

With the Tomra R2, the manufacturer has stated its plan to “disrupt traditional reverse vending design”. With a minimalist design, the R2 has a wall-mounted and compact unit facing the consumer, made to be more stylish, discreet and accessible in the store environment. The screen gives more visual guidance and better user flow to make the process more intuitive for end users.

Notably, the R2 offers digital vouchers for users’ deposit refunds, with no app required. RVMs traditionally print paper vouchers, which users redeem in store for cash or as credit on their next purchase. With digital vouchers, recyclers simply use their phone camera to scan a QR code on the RVM’s screen and the voucher will appear in their mobile browser – for a touch-free, paperless experience. Alternatively, the user can choose to donate to one of nine on-screen donation partners chosen by the retail chain or individual store.

This donation functionality has been requested by retailers wanting to make a difference in the local communities, allowing them to build charity partnerships and create campaigns to engage shoppers and grow store loyalty.

Studies in success

When Refreshment asked the BDSA for some examples of successfully-implemented DRS schemes, it highlighted Slovakia’s DRS, which includes a return-to-retail model for can and plastic PET bottles and does not include glass. Since its launch in 2022, the scheme has achieved remarkable recycling rates of around 93%.

In the UK, Defra’s 2022 figures show that just 51.4% of plastic waste generated was recycled that year – a figure not too dissimilar to Slovakia’s kerbside collection recycling rates prior to the launch of its DRS, the BDSA told Refreshment. The Slovakian DRS is run by a non-profit organisation created by a consortium of trade associations which represent beer, soft drinks and mineral water producers, as well as representatives of wholesale and retail.

“This is the sort of model we can also expect to see in the UK,” explained the BDSA. “There are countless other examples of successful DRS schemes across Europe, with Germany achieving particularly high collection rates, while the Republic of Ireland – which launched its DRS in February 2024 – had collected 500 million cans and bottles as part of its scheme by early September.”

Valpak’s Atkinson also praised Germany’s success in implementing the world’s highest-performing DRS, achieving a 98% return rate on eligible, single-use drink containers.

“This success is attributed to the meaningful deposit value and a dense network of return locations. The system encourages the use of refillable containers, which are also included in the deposit scheme,” Atkinson explained.

Sweden, too, boasts a highly effective DRS, known for its simplicity and profitability.

“It allows private entities to cover the setup costs and management of the system,” noted Atkinson. “This has led to high collection rates and a significant reduction in litter and waste.”

Barriers to implementation

In January 2023, the UK government announced plans to introduce a DRS in 2025 to improve the recycling rates for plastic bottles and cans. However, earlier this year the go-live date was pushed back to October 2027. Ministers have blamed the Welsh government, which wants to include glass in the scheme, for the delay. The UK government believes that including glass in the UK DRS will make the scheme too complex and expensive.

Commenting on the delay, the BDSA told Refreshment that, “a unified and consistent scheme is critical to the success of DRS and it’s disappointing that the Welsh government continues to be an outlier in calling for the inclusion of glass within scope”.

The association continued: “A lack of alignment in this area risks creating different market conditions within Great Britain, which, in turn, would confuse consumers and impede efforts to achieve the high collection rates of PET and aluminium beverage containers necessary to fuel the circular economy for beverage packaging”.

According to Valpak’s Atkinson, the lack of infrastructure is another key obstacle to DRS implementation in the UK.

“The UK would likely need over 30,000 RVMs, not to mention central clearing houses and a new fleet of dedicated refuse collection vehicles. This could cost producers up to, if not more than £2 billion a year, a significant cost which must be considered in the context of an existing mature kerbside collection system in the UK.”

Despite these potential barriers, with convenient return locations, financial incentives for consumers and strong public awareness campaigns, the future does look bright for RVMs as a positive force for change. Despite the varying needs of individual territories, the example set by the many countries with a successful DRS in place shows that the model works. With innovation from manufacturers helping to further drive uptake, RVMs are set to continue to play a vital role in reducing waste and helping consumers to actively participate in moving towards a circular economy.