Lisbon, April 8, 2026 (Lusa) - From Friday, empty drink containers will be worth €0.10 when returned empty to vending machines, a scheme the government regards as one of Portugal’s major environmental projects.
The system is called SDR and has long been announced to start on 10 April. Machines across the country will accept single-use plastic and aluminium containers up to three litres in size and print out corresponding refund vouchers.
However, those responsible for the system warn that there may be bottles and cans that the machines do not accept, as they do not yet bear the symbol – a horseshoe-shaped arrow and the word ‘Volta’ (return). In such cases, consumers should place them in appropriate recycling bins.
The deposit and refund system (SDR), known in Portugal as Volta, planned since 2017, but only now set to begin, represents an investment of €150 million and is expected to create 1,500 jobs.
Based on experiences in other countries, SDR Portugal, the managing body of Volta, says the system will enable the collection of far more single-use beverage containers, targeting rates of 90% by 2029.
The expected increase in recovery, which will strengthen the circular economy and boost recycling rates, is due to the incentive of a €0.10 refund per container.
All of this makes SDR “perhaps one of the largest environmental projects Portugal is implementing”, as the minister for the environment and energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, said last month during a presentation of the system.
The minister noted that the waste sector is one of the “most difficult” in terms of European targets and reiterated that the Portuguese are neither reducing nor sorting waste sufficiently.
The latest report from the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR), published in March, covering 2024, points to continued low waste collection and recycling rates.
A situation that can now be reversed for single-use beverage containers.
From Friday, provided they bear the Volta symbol, are intact, empty, have a lid and a barcode, they will be accepted at any of the 2,500 machines across the country, over 8,000 manual collection points and 48 kiosks for bulk deliveries. These will be located, for example, near supermarkets. The machine crushes the packaging and returns a €0.10 refund voucher.
Until 10 August, during the transition phase, some products on sale will not have the logo and therefore will not be accepted by the machines. However, the consumer did not pay the €0.10 deposit when purchasing them.
The CEO of SDR Portugal, Leonardo Mathias, said the project targets the 2.1 billion plastic and aluminium containers used each year.
This could lead to less litter on the streets, improved recycling, reduced landfill waste, and the promotion of the circular economy, which also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
These are the major contributions made by consumers – the 10.7 million residents and 29 million tourists each year – who do not actually make money from the process, as the €0.10 are incorporated into the price of the drink; a deposit, returned in the form of a voucher, which can be converted into cash or discounts in shops, amongst other options.
The machines accept one container at a time and display the refund options at the end.
According to SDR, 90% of the soft drinks, water and beer industry and 80% of retailers have joined the Volta scheme.
The European Union wants single-use plastic bottles to contain at least 65% recycled material by 2040.
The SDR system is already in place in several European countries, such as Germany, Austria and Denmark, and collects over 35 billion containers annually, covering around 357 million inhabitants.
FP/MYAL // AYLS
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