The new deposit system for plastic bottles and aluminum cans now applies in Austria. However, it is not yet clear to every consumer what exactly applies and when. The “Krone” therefore has the answers to the eight most important questions.
Many European countries have been charging deposits for disposable PET bottles for some time now. The pioneer here is Sweden, where it started in 1984. But even in our neighboring country Germany, since January 1, 2003, a deposit of 0.25 euros applies to all purchased disposable bottles.
This year, a deposit system on disposable PET beverage bottles and aluminum cans will now also apply in Austria. The “Krone” has looked at what this actually means for consumers and answers the most important questions…
The deposit now applies to all disposable PET beverage bottles and aluminum cans that have the new deposit logo.
No. Currently, very few containers in stores have a deposit logo as there are transition periods for manufacturers. In concrete terms, beverage bottlers may supply goods without a deposit logo to supermarkets until the end of March.
Local supermarkets, snack bars and other shops (e.g. tobacconists) are allowed to sell disposable PET bottles and aluminum cans without a deposit logo until the end of 2025 (provided the expiration date allows this).
No. If you damage the packaging, for example by squeezing it, you “devalue” the product and you will not receive a deposit for it. However, if the PET bottle has a (small) dent, this is no problem when returning it. Naturally, the deposit logo (as well as the EAN code) must be clearly visible.
Anyone who buys a disposable bottle or can with the new logo (see above) must pay 25 cents. For a container with 24 cans, a deposit of six euros is required in addition to the purchase price.
You can return one-time deposit packaging to the place of issue. For example, if a food retailer sells 0.5 liter PET bottles from brand X, he must also take back 0.5 liter PET bottles, but also from other brands. For example, if a baker only sells 0.33 liter aluminum cans, he only needs to take back 0.33 liter aluminum cans. The supermarkets have invested millions of euros in the conversion and in some cases have set up completely new return locations.
There are no restrictions at all when it comes to vending machines, for example at large supermarkets. This is different at points of sale with manual returns. Take a baker, for example: he sells an average of one to three bottles per customer and therefore only has to take back these quantities. It doesn’t matter whether I bought the drink at the drop-off point or not.
Because beverage manufacturers were allowed to produce goods without a deposit logo until December 31, 2024 and, for example, mineral water in PET bottles or energy drinks in aluminum cans have a shelf life of up to one year, there may even be containers without a deposit logo. credit in stores until the end of 2025.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
