Hungary starts year with DRS debut

The Tomra Collection business unit of Norway-based Tomra ASA has role in the introduction of a new deposit return system (DRS) for beverage container recycling in Hungary.  

The company has partnered with MOL Hulladékgazdálkodási Zrt. (MOHU), the central system administrator for the nation’s DRS, to install reverse vending machines (RVMs) as part of Hungary’s DRS collection infrastructure.

Hungary’s DRS covers ready-to-drink or concentrated beverages (except milk and milk-based beverages) packaged in aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles, ranging from 0.1 liters to 3 liters (approximately 3.5 ounces to.75 gallons).

Consumers pay a deposit of approximately 14 cents when purchasing a covered drink, which is refunded to them when they return the empty container for recycling. Beverage containers in Hungary can be returned to larger grocery retail stores and some voluntary and manual sites.

Tomra has installed more than 1,000 "high-volume" RVMs in supermarkets and other locations in Hungary. Its RVMs automatically identify and sort the containers, paying out the proper refund “more efficiently and securely than with [the] manual return of containers," the company says.

Hungary’s new DRS also includes an extended producer responsibility (EPR) aspect as it strives to deliver on the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive targets, which requires member countries to each collect 90 percent of plastic beverage bottles by 2029.

Tomra established a local entity in Hungary in 2022, with Managing Director David Bakos now overseeing an organization with approximately 40 people.

“We applaud Hungary’s bold steps toward a circular future, with today’s launch of the deposit return system a milestone in transforming waste management and promoting recycling,” Bakos says. “We look forward to working with MOHU further to secure solid public participation in the DRS and ensure a convenient network of return points for recycling.”

“It’s important to emphasize that cooperation is needed to protect our environment,” says Szilvia Szabó, head of producer responsibility systems at MOHU. “Everyone has a responsibility: beverage producers, consumers, retailers selling beverages, and municipalities. Our work so far with Tomra allows us to kick off the DRS with well-established collection infrastructure ahead of the scheme’s start. We are looking forward to providing a high-performing DRS for our citizens together with strong support from our partners.”

Hungary’s DRS begins shortly another DRS launched in the neighboring country of Romania last November   and comes ahead of Ireland’s launch this February.   

Globally, Tomra Collection has engaged in approximately 82,000 RVM installations in some 60 national markets.