| Law Summary | STATUTORY ORDER ON PACKAGING FOR BEER AND SOFT DRINKS # 124, amended by STATUTORY ORDER #540 requires all domestic beer and soft drink to be sold in refillable bottles. Mandatory deposit/return system for imported containers made of glass and plastic. Mandatory return on certain beverages made of glass, metal and plastic defined by the Statutory Order. |
| Date Implemented | (#124) 2002; amended (#540) in 2007, and in 2019 |
| Containers Covered | Plastic (Predominantly PET), metal, glass |
| Beverages Covered |
Beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, mineral water, iced tea, ready-to-drink beverages, alcoholic mixers, juice, and syrup |
| Amount of Deposit |
Metal, glass, plastic < 1l: 1 DKK (€0.13, USD$0.15) Plastic 0.5l: 1.5 DKK (€0.2, USD$0.23) Metal, glass, plastic ≥ 1l: 3 DKK (€0.4, USD$0.46) |
| Handling Fees |
RVM accepted containers with compaction:
The handling fee is a compensation fee paid by Dansk Retursystem to retailers. |
| Program Success |
Success rate (2018): Overall return rate: 89% Trippage rate: 32 trips (average for all containers) |
More Details
The fee structure that covers Dansk Retursystem's handling of packaging is paid by producers and importer per packaging. The calculation is done by Dansk Retursystem once a year and is approved by the Danish EPA. There is a free choice of packaging and less circular packaging is covered by an extra fee. This fee has been lowered by 20% on average in the last two years[2].
Footnotes
1. "Statutory Order on Deposits on and the Collection etc. of Packaging for Certain Beverages". Government of Denmark, June 2017. Translated by GlobalDenmark Translations. https://mst.dk/media/133287/statutory-order-on-deposits-on-and-the-collection-etc-of-packaging-for-certain-beverages.pdf
2. https://www.danskretursystem.