The bottles and cans that are collected through the deposit system are part of an efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly recycling system.
With the deposit system, we contribute to a sustainable society through increased recycling and reduced littering. We ensure that valuable material is recycled, thus saving energy. The deposit refund is an incentive in the system. When you buy the package, you pay a deposit, which you get back when you deposit, and the cans and bottles can be recycled into new packages. Or clothes. Or upholstery in furniture. Or...
Environmental arguments are important for depositing
We regularly measure the attitude to depositing in Sweden. Our latest survey, made by Kantar in 2023, shows, among other things, that the environmental and recycling arguments, together with the return of the paid deposit, are the reasons for the depositing of cans and bottles that are considered most important. This applies to all demographic groups, and it is interesting to note that the environmental arguments are important even in the group that relatively the least deposit - young men in larger cities.
Clean material retains its place in the recycling ladder
The advantage of our deposit system is that the recycled material runs in its own flow and thus has a very high quality. The fact that the packages remains in its cycle also means that you save energy compared to if you were to manufacture packages from new raw materials.
High recycling rate in the deposit system
In Sweden, the goal is for 90 percent of all cans and PET bottles to be recycled, and in recent years we have been just below that number, which makes us among the best countries in the world at depositing. All recycling of packaging benefits the environment. The deposit rate was 88,5% for the year 2023. This corresponds to a carbon dioxide saving of around 180 000 tonnes.
Available deposit system
The majority of all cans and bottles that are recycled through the deposit system are collected in the grocery stores deposit areas. You can find reverse vending machines in grocery stores all over Sweden, from the supermarket and the stores in the city to the seasonal stores and the country store. This means that there is a very high availability and a very good opportunity for consumers to be able to deposit their cans and bottles.