Launch of Information Campaign for the Start of the Single-Use Deposit in January

The system is now ready for use and a smooth start is guaranteed, it was said at a press conference by "EWP Recycling Deposit Austria" on Tuesday in Vienna. With the campaign "Attention Deployment!" they now want to get consumers on board.

Two figures - the plastic bottle "Pet" and the metal can "Can" - are to communicate the central message of the "deployment" of 25 cents and the commitment to the circular economy in TV, print advertisements, outdoor advertising and online. In addition, "Anti-Littering" is in focus, i.e. the fight against carelessly discarded bottles and cans. The major beverage producers will start producing the deposit containers in January - "It will be around mid-January before the products are found on the shelf - that's why we are starting the information campaign on January 9th," said the managing director of Recycling Deposit Austria, Monika Fiala.

Deposit items must be returned empty and with a readable label

In addition to creating awareness for the new deposit system, the campaign is primarily about the how: There is a 25 cent deposit on every plastic bottle or metal can that is marked with the Austrian deposit symbol above the barcode. However, they must be returned empty and with a readable label, i.e. not crushed, so that the barcode can be read. Whether the bottle cap is brought along has no influence on the deposit payout. Until the end of 2025, drinks without a deposit logo can still be sold in a transition phase if they were produced before March 31, 2025. Exceptions are milk products, syrups, medical products or drinks in composite cartons like the Tetra Pak.

The return is generally made everywhere where the products are sold - with a few exceptions: The post or food delivery services would not take back the deposit, as well as "closed" gastronomic businesses that are designed for consumption on site and do not charge the deposit. In addition, several sellers can join together at high-traffic locations such as shopping centers and enable joint return at one location, said Recycling Deposit Austria in response to APA's request.

"We are ready," says Recycling Deposit Austria

"We have built an extensive and service-oriented deposit system over the past one and a half years and can say with good conscience: We are ready!", Simon Parth, Managing Director of Recycling Deposit Austria, confidently stated. The preparations have gone according to plan, with around 5,600 registered return points currently being equipped with deposit collection bags. The return and payout of deposit amounts to consumers is thus ensured.

Contracts have been signed with food retail corporations for logistics. As part of the supply to supermarket branches, the bags with the collected deposits are taken along and brought back to the central warehouses of the producers, where they are then picked up by Recycling Austria. "We assume that 90 percent of the containers will be returned in this way due to the widespread offer of supermarkets - we expect about ten percent at smaller sales points", says Parth. In the latter case, the beverage suppliers will take the containers to their warehouses and collect them for pickup.

The counting and sorting is also ready to go: Only the sorting plant "East" in Burgenland is currently being converted and will not be operational until 2026, until then there is a transitional sorting in Lower Austria. The preparations for the counting points and sorting plants for the manual return from smaller businesses are also still underway: Two out of four are already operational, the others are in the finalisation stage.

New System to Comply with EU Regulations

The deposit system ensures compliance with EU regulations, according to Parth. From next year, for example, plastic bottles must consist of at least 25 percent recycled material. By 2029, EU countries must also achieve a collection target of 90 percent - this is expected to be achieved in Austria two years earlier.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.