Danes saved more than 150.000 t CO2 just in 2019 by returning cans and bottles! Today’s blogpost tells the story behind the Danish return deposit system and how it actually works. So be inspired and let’s dig into the concept of return deposit systems.

 

The story of the Danish pant system

In Denmark trash is actually treasure. Here, a recycling system for bottles and cans has been developed since 1942, which allow people to get money back when  returning their resources that will then be reused. Back then, the so-called “pant”-system was created to accept only glass bottles but later on it also included plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and since 2019 it has included plastic containers for juice, smoothie and similar containers. The bottles and cans go into a closed-loop recycling system, where the resources will be used for the exact same thing as it has formerly been used for – bottles and cans. This requires a high quality of the recycled material and it is the best type of recycling, which in theory can go on forever. Today Danes are some of the best to return their bottles and cans. In fact, more than 9 out of 10 bottles and cans are returned, and the relative amount still increases!

 

Why return deposit systems are important

There are different ways you can get money back by returning your bottles and cans. The pant stations has recently been added where you get money paid directly on your bank account. Photo credit: Dansk Retursystem

 

The true winner is all of us

This system does not only allow people and producers to save money. The true winner is the environment and thus us all. Because, the production of bottles and cans – as well as all things produced – demands materials and energy and thus causes pollution and CO2-emissions. For example, did you know that:

  • Producing one kg of plastic requires 2 kg of crude oil.
  • Producing 1 kg of glass requires 1.2 kg of raw materials.
  • Manufacturing 1 kg of aluminium requires mining 4 kg of bauxite, which requires 95% more energy than melting existing aluminium and converting it into new material.

So we can conclude that producing from new require a lot more than producing from exiting materials.  Danes saved more than 150.000 t CO2 just in 2019 by returning cans and bottles! This is truly everyone’s treasure.

 

The treasure of a bottle

In Denmark, you gain 1-3 DKK by returning a bottle or can, which you typically receive as a ‘ticket’ that can be used as payment at the checkout counter in the supermarket or you can choose to receive the sum of money for your used bottles and cans and have them added to your bank account. However, this is not the only type of return system that exists.

Why return deposit systems are important

The pant shelf allow you to ‘donate’ bottles and cans to others, who then can receive the money instead. More and more cities in Denmark have introduced these options in the city. Photo credit: Katrine Rimer, Københavns Kommune

 

Today, more cities worldwide and countries have adapted a deposit system which encourages people to recycle bottles and cans, or even trash in general! For example, bottles can pay for a subway ticket in Rome and Beijing. This type of system can also be used as a tool to tackle poverty, hunger and other social challenges. For example, in a local community in the Philippines, plastic waste can be swapped into rice, and a school in India allows school fees to be paid with waste. In Denmark, you can choose to donate your “return pant” on most return recycle machines to different aid organization or you can donate single bottles and cans by leaving them on specific ‘pant shelves’ on trash bins, making it easy for other people eg. homeless people to get the pant without searching the entire trash bin.

Does your city or country have a similar system? Let us know!

Interested in going on tour with us and learn more about recycling, circular economy, cities green transition or maybe the UN SDG’s? Book a tour right here: www.greenbiketours.org

Written by green guide Josefine Wulffeld

Sources:

The Danish Deposit System (Dansk Retursystem): www.danskretursystem.dk

World Economic Forum: www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/in-this-philippines-community-people-can-swap-plastic-waste-for-rice/

The Indian school which accepts returned trash as payment for school fees: www.aksharfoundation.org