Bottles and cans

The final hurdles to switching to a deposit system

(Bild: Michael Eichhammer - stock.adobe.com)

Austria will introduce a deposit system for plastic bottles and beverage cans in 2025. While the majority of retailers are ready after major investments, customers still have questions. We explain how the deposit system works and what else will change - including the remaining plastic waste.

Retailers have been busy preparing for the introduction of the single-use deposit for over a year. "We now know almost everything," explains Simon Mair, chairman of the food trade committee at the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce. This was preceded by several information events and repeated requests for final details. "A lot of fine-tuning was necessary," reports Mair, "especially the smaller retailers simply don't know what to expect."