Reverse vending: the phenomenon of machines that pay you to recycle

Reverse vending turns empty containers into money, revolutionizing recycling in leading countries such as Germany and Norway.

¿Cómo funciona el reverse vending y por qué triunfa fuera de España? Analizamos su impacto global, los desafíos locales y su potencial futuro.

Imagine going to the supermarket, depositing your empty bottles in a machine and receiving money in exchange. Sounds incredible, right? Well, it's a reality that is already changing the way people view recycling in many European countries.

This innovative system, known as "reverse vending", not only encourages environmental protection, but also rewards those who practice it. But what are these machines and how do they work? What impact do they have on the environment and why are they not fully implemented in Spain?

Reverse vending : technology that promotes recycling

Reverse vending is a system that combines technology and recycling . The machines, known as Reverse Vending Machines (RVM), accept containers such as plastic bottles, glass or cans, analyse them and issue a reward : money, discounts or redeemable points.

Although it was born in the 1980s, its peak came in 2003 with the German Pfand system , which links recycling to a refundable deposit. This model, replicated in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, achieves impressive figures: up to 99% of bottles and cans are recycled , a clear example of how economic incentives can transform habits.

Northern European countries are leading the change

Reverse vending has established itself as a success in Europe, Asia and North America, with Germany leading the way with more than 80,000 machines in supermarkets and gas stations .

Éxito en Europa y América del Norte, pero su implantación en España aún es limitada.

Countries such as Norway and Sweden have fully integrated it into everyday life, and in Denmark and the Netherlands almost 100% of packaging is recycled thanks to this system.

In Spain , however, its adoption is still limited . The first machines arrived in the Canary Islands in 2018, installed by Spar supermarkets, and since then, specific initiatives have emerged in communities such as Catalonia, Andalusia and Asturias, although with a limited scope.