Reverse Vending Machines Accept Millions of Packages: Where Do They Go Next?

As Poland’s deposit-return system scales up rapidly, consumers have returned billions of beverage containers by mid-2026, prompting a closer look at the sorting, recycling, and recovery processes that follow.

The Scale and Operation of the Deposit System

The scale of the deposit system in Poland is growing rapidly. According to the Ministry of Climate and Environment, approximately 2.3 billion empty beverage containers were returned by the end of June 2026. In June alone, about 700 million units entered the system, marking the highest monthly result since the solution was launched.

In the second quarter, the number of returns averaged 600 to 700 million containers per month. The ministry notes that a simple comparison between the number of containers introduced to the market and the number returned cannot yet be treated as a definitive measure of system effectiveness. Several weeks or months may pass from the production, distribution, and sale of a beverage to the consumption of its contents and the return of the container, meaning a full evaluation will only be possible after a complete annual cycle closes.

The return network currently comprises about 64,000 points. Deposit machines operate in nearly 14,000 locations and hold a dominant role across the entire system. According to data from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, approximately 87 percent of containers are returned through them.

Importantly, small shops account for about 54 percent of collection points. Some of these do not have a statutory obligation to collect plastic bottles and metal cans, yet they have voluntarily joined the system. Return points also appear outside traditional retail, including in resort towns, on beaches, and at large events.

What Happens to PET Bottles After Being Returned?

Dropping a plastic bottle into a reverse vending machine does not mean the packaging goes directly to a facility producing new bottles. First, the collected containers are taken over within the logistics system and directed to specialized centers, where they are recorded, sorted, and prepared for subsequent stages of management.

Bottles made of PET are then baled, which reduces their volume and enables more efficient transport of larger material quantities. The raw material prepared in this way goes to recycling plants.

The plastic is processed there into material that can be reused. One of the effects of this process is high-quality granulate, which can serve to produce subsequent packaging and other plastic products.

The significance of such collection is not limited to the mere number of recovered bottles. The Ministry of Climate and Environment previously indicated that material originating from the deposit system is significantly less contaminated than plastics retrieved from the traditional waste stream, facilitating the preparation of raw material with parameters allowing for reuse, including in the production of new packaging.

What Happens to Cans After Being Returned to a Deposit Machine?

Metal beverage cans follow a different path. After collection from return points, they are also sorted and baled, and then transported to facilities where the metal is recovered.

Aluminum cans go to smelters. Aluminum holds particularly high value as a secondary raw material because it can be processed repeatedly while maintaining its properties. The recovered metal can be reused, among other things, for the production of subsequent cans, as well as a range of other products.

The ability to secure relatively clean streams of PET and aluminum is precisely one of the most important elements of the economic structure of the deposit system. Packaging ceases to be merely waste requiring management and once again becomes a production raw material.

Why Bottles and Cans Should Not Be Crushed Before Return

From the consumer’s perspective, the most important rule is simple: PET bottles and cans covered by the deposit should be returned uncrushed. In traditional waste sorting, crushing bottles can save space in a container, whereas in the deposit system, it may cause a problem during packaging identification.

Deposit machines must recognize whether a specific bottle or can actually belongs to the system. One of the basic elements of this identification is a legible barcode, and preserving the packaging in a state that allows the device to properly recognize it also matters.

A heavily deformed bottle or can may be rejected by the machine, which in practice means the consumer will not recover the deposit in that specific transaction.

Before the return, the packaging should be emptied, and its label, deposit mark, and barcode must remain legible. A receipt confirming the purchase of the beverage is not necessary, and bottles and cans can be returned at a different point than the place where they were bought.

The Deposit System and Rates for Bottles and Cans

The Polish deposit system has been operating since October 1, 2025, reaching full scale at the beginning of 2026. It covers three basic groups of packaging.

A deposit of 50 groszy is charged for a single-use plastic bottle with a capacity of up to 3 liters, and the same amount applies to metal cans with a capacity of up to 1 liter. For reusable glass bottles with a capacity of up to 1.5 liters, the deposit is 1 zloty.

However, not every bottle or can can be dropped into a machine to recover money; the packaging must be covered by the system and appropriately marked. The label features the deposit system sign along with information about the deposit amount.

The deposit is charged upon beverage purchase, regardless of whether the store itself operates a collection point for all types of packaging. Conversely, recovering the money is not conditioned on presenting proof of purchase.

Where Can Packaging Covered by the Deposit System Be Returned?

The obligation to participate in collection primarily applies to stores with a sales area exceeding 200 square meters if they offer beverages in packaging covered by the system. Smaller shops can join the collection of plastic bottles and cans voluntarily.

Separate rules apply to reusable glass bottles, as small shops selling beverages in such packaging also participate in their collection.

The return does not have to take place in a machine, as the system provides for both automated collection and manual acceptance of packaging. Therefore, the absence of a reverse vending machine in a store does not necessarily mean packaging cannot be returned there.

The Deposit System and Selective Collection Levels

The growing number of returns is intended to enable Poland to achieve required selective collection levels. For single-use plastic beverage bottles, EU regulations set targets of 77 percent in 2025 and 90 percent in 2029.

The regulations also provide for increasing the share of recyclate in new plastic bottles. For PET bottles, a minimum share of 25 percent recycled plastic is required starting in 2025, and this level is set to reach 30 percent by 2030 for applicable plastic bottles.

The deposit system holds special significance in this mechanism because it allows a large quantity of homogeneous material to be separated from other municipal waste.

Fewer Bottles and Cans in Parks, Forests, and Near Water

The Ministry of Climate and Environment also points to a second effect of the system’s operation: curbing the number of packages discarded in public spaces. A bottle or can marked with a deposit sign holds specific monetary value, thereby increasing the economic motivation for its return.

The ministry cites observations from organizations engaged in environmental cleanups, including Waste Free Oceans and the Clean Odra initiative, which indicate a decline in the number of deposit-covered packaging items found in public spaces.

Data simultaneously demonstrate how quickly the scale of the entire system changed. At the end of March 2026, the number of returned packages was estimated at about 520 million, crossing 1 billion by the end of April, and reaching approximately 2.3 billion by the end of June. Simultaneously, the collection network expanded from 57,000 points and 12,500 machine-equipped locations at the end of April to about 64,000 points and 14,000 machine locations according to data from the end of June.