Why is returning bottles and cans important?

When you buy a drink in an eligible container, you pay a small deposit. Returning the empty container is how you get it back. This simple incentive is what makes deposit return systems so effective, collection rates in well-established schemes regularly exceed 90%. Beyond the personal refund, returning containers keeps valuable materials such as aluminium and PET plastic in circulation, reduces litter, and feeds high-quality recycled material back into new beverage packaging.