| Law |
Law 69/2018, of December 26 ("Lei No. 69/2018, de 26 de dezembro" [1] |
| Date Implemented | April 10, 2026 |
| Containers Covered |
Non-reusable PET plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and steel cans up to 3L. Glass and drink boxes are not covered by the Portugal DRS. [2] |
| Beverages Covered |
Bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, juices and nectars, energy drinks, beer, cider, and flavored alcoholic coolers. [3] |
| Amount of Deposit |
EUR 0.10 |
| Program Success |
TBD |
Details
Portugal passed Law 69/2018 on December 26, 2018 with the initial goal of a pilot project to be implemented by December 31, 2019 and a deposit return system to be implemented by January 1, 2022. After some delays, the program – known as “Volta” – began in April 2026. [4] The program administrator and licensed managing agency is SDR Portugal, and the IT Provider is Sensoneo. [5]
Retail stores larger than 400 square meters are required to take back DRS containers. [6]. Stores have 120 days to transition to this return-to-retail model and meet operational requirements. The program at the moment consists of 2,500 reverse vending machines, over 8,000 collection points, and 48 large-volume kiosks nationwide. [7] The system also covers Portugal’s islands, such as the Azores and Madeira Islands.
When a container is redeemed, the deposit can be refunded via “a voucher convertible into cash, a store discount voucher, a loyalty card, a donation [to a charity], or future digital solutions.” [8]
Footnotes
[1] "Lei n.º 69/2018, de 26 de dezembro." Diário Da República.
[2] “Vamos dar a volta às tuas dúvidas” Volta.
[3] Portugal kicks off national Deposit Return Scheme for drinks packaging. Packaging Europe. April 10, 2026.
[4] “SDR Portugal’s Ambition.” SDR Portugal.
[5] "Portugal sets regional 'milestone' with national DRS rollout in 2026." Packaging Insights. March 28, 2025.
[6] “Portugal launches its national deposit return scheme (DRS) for drink container recycling”. TOMRA. April 10, 2026.
[7] “Portugal's Deposit Return System Is Live — Everything You Need to Know About Volta”. Envipco.
[8] see Footnote 2
Last Updated on April 22, 2026.