Denmark is home to one of the world’s most successful deposit return systems. Built on decades of experience and continual improvement, the scheme consistently delivers exceptionally high collection rates through a nationwide network that is both convenient for consumers and efficient for businesses.
| Launch | 2002 (modern national system) |
| Deposit | Variable by container type |
| Operator | Dansk Retursystem |
Joint film from Marine Conservation Society and Reloop on their field trip to Denmark to learn about their deposit return system and the city-wide REUSABLE cup systems in Aarhus.
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Related resources
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Launch Webinar: Reloop and Marine Conservation Society – short film series
This recorded session with Marine Conservation Society highlights the real-world impact and potential of Denmark’s deposit return and reusable cup systems.
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Inside Latvia’s Deposit Return System
Joint film from Marine Conservation Society and Reloop on their field trip to Latvia to learn about their deposit return system and the positive impact it is having on their beaches.
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Inside Austria’s Deposit Return System
Austria’s mandatory single-use deposit return system started on 1 January 2025, and within its first year reached a 81.5% collection rate, with over 1.2 billion containers collected.
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Inside Slovakia’s Deposit Return System
Slovakia’s Deposit Return System (DRS) for single-use beverage containers officially launched on January 1, 2022.
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Deposit return systems: UK perspective
In this short film, produced with Marine Conservation Society, we find out what the UK can learn from deposit systems in Europe.
