Norway's Bottle and Can Recycling Program

Image credit: Infinitum

Maximizing recycling is possible. In Norway, you buy the beverage but are just loaned the plastic bottle. A Norwegian initiative has put that country on the leading edge for collecting and recycling beverage bottles and cans, achieving a collection rate of more than 95%. Producers and consumers are incentivized to recycle, and reduced packaging is rewarded with a lowered surcharge - which allows for simplified recycling. The producers are ultimately responsible for the program, and it nearly pays for itself. 

An easy process and a tax incentive

Two companies and a national taxation strategy make the process work. There is a basic tax for beverage producers on all single-use containers, plus a variable environmental tax that is reduced as return rates increase. Consumers pay between 20 and 30 Norwegian kroner (two to three cents USD at current exchange rates) for each bottle or can, which is refunded when they return the container. Containers with a 95% return rate or more are exempt from the environmental tax, creating a financial incentive for producers to participate in this deposit return system (DRS) and achieve the highest possible return rate. 

The tax is currently set to zero because of the success of the program. In 2021, more than 1.55 billion beverage containers were returned for recycling. Norway’s DRS is the responsibility of the country’s beverage producers – they pay 100% of the net costs for the system. Unredeemed deposits, revenue from the sales of container materials, and other revenues (mainly from interest) cover the largest proportion of the costs – covering almost 95% in 2021, with 5.4% paid through an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee from producers. 

Reverse Vending Machines

Image credit: Tomra

TOMRA provides reverse vending machines for the automated collection of used beverage containers and provides advanced collection and sorting systems and has 3,900 reverse vending machines in 3,500 locations in Norway and approximately 11,500 manual return points, equaling one redemption point for every 362 people.The system is managed by Infinitum, a privately owned not-for-profit organization created by beverage manufacturers and grocery chains in Norway to drive efficient collection and recycling of beverage bottles and cans.