National deposit return system
Lithuania introduced a “bottle bill” in 2016 with the aim of reducing litter, cutting local government costs, and boosting recycling rates. The system works with multiple-use glass bottles, single-use plastic, and aluminium cans.
Prior to the introduction of the deposit return system (DRS), only one third of plastic bottles were collected to be recycled (34%). Two years later, the country’s deposit initiative, which is powered by TOMRA’s reverse vending machines, has seen return rates increase to 92%.