Ericeira, Portugal – 10 April 2026 – Today marks a major milestone for environmental sustainability and recycling in Portugal as the country officially launches its long-anticipated deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drink containers. Portugal is the 19th European country to implement such a system and the first sizeable market in Southern Europe to adopt a DRS.

Under the new system, branded volta and managed by SDR Portugal, consumers will pay a €0.10 deposit when purchasing eligible drink containers, including PET plastic bottles as well as aluminum and steel cans (up to 3L), and receive a full refund when those containers are returned via designated collection points. Retail stores larger than 400 square meters are required to accept all packaging covered by the DRS, choosing between automatic or manual collection.

“Portugal’s DRS is a transformative step toward a cleaner environment and a more circular economy,” Paulo Borges, Managing Director at TOMRA Collection Portugal. “By making it easy for citizens to return drink containers for recycling, we are reducing waste, improving material recovery, and accelerating the transition to a truly circular system.”

To power Portugal’s DRS with world-class collection technology, TOMRA is providing its proven reverse vending solutions that make bottle and can returns fast, convenient and reliable for consumers, retailers and system operators alike. The company has over 50 years of experience in deposit return systems, over 91,000 reverse vending machines installed internationally, and collects over 53 billion drink containers annually.

“We are proud to support Portugal’s transition to a circular economy by bringing TOMRA’s trusted reverse vending technology to the heart of the national deposit return scheme,” said Paulo Borges. “Our focus has been on delivering solutions that are user-friendly for consumers, efficient for retailers, and designed to support the ambitious collection targets set for Portugal.”

Reverse vending machines in Portugal's deposit return scheme

Portugal’s DRS is expected to significantly increase drink container collection and material quality, further reducing litter and dependency on virgin resources while contributing to national and EU recycling targets.

The legislation provides a 120-day transition period for stores designated as return locations to meet the new operational requirements. This timeframe is intended to support these locations in preparing their return infrastructure, rather than addressing beverage producers' labelling obligations.