Germany reports a 99 per cent recycling rate for used aluminium beverage cans, the leading figure in a national packaging recovery picture that also includes 95 per cent PET bottle recycling and 81 per cent glass bottle recycling, based on an International Aluminium Institute study cited in the source material.
Behind that result is the country's deposit return scheme, known as Pfand, which places a refundable charge on eligible single-use beverage containers so that empty packaging carries a financial value and is returned rather than discarded. Germany marked 20 years of the nationwide one-way deposit scheme in 2026.
From a mandatory deposit to a national system
The scheme developed in stages. The mandatory deposit requirement was decided in 2003. In 2005, retailers and the drinks industry jointly established Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG) to build a standardised framework for implementing it. The nationwide DPG system for single-use beverage packaging began operating in May 2006, supported by an extended take-back obligation that required the new arrangements to be in place from May 1 that year.
Consumers pay a EUR 0.25 (USD 0.28) deposit on eligible single-use beverage containers and recover it when they return the empty packaging at an accepted collection point. Retail take-back, reverse-vending machines and standardised container identification have made returns part of routine shopping. The system now handles around 20 billion containers annually, making it the largest one-way deposit return system in the European Union, according to supplied DPG material, with more than 1,000 companies affiliated as participants and partners.
How the deposit supports aluminium recycling
The main advantage for the aluminium industry is not only the number of cans returned but the creation of a reliable, dedicated stream of used beverage cans that can enter organised collection and recycling channels instead of being lost in mixed waste. The refund gives consumers a direct financial reason to return containers, while take-back points, reverse-vending machines, container recognition and standardised identification help direct eligible packaging into separate collection streams. A refundable deposit can also limit material loss by keeping eligible containers out of ordinary disposal routes.
Industrial capacity behind collection
The high collection performance sits alongside a sizeable recycled aluminium industry. The supplied material estimates national recycled aluminium capacity at around 700,000–720,000 tonnes annually. Novelis operates its Nachterstedt facility in Germany, described in the material as the world's largest aluminium recycling facility, with capacity to process up to 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap a year. Hydro-owned WMR Recycling GmbH in Dormagen supplies technology-driven sorting equipment and can sort 36,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually using X-ray transmission and other sorting technologies. Trimet Aluminium SE has expanded its Gelsenkirchen recycling facility, raising production capacity by 20 per cent to 80,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium.
Taken together, collection through DRS and industrial sorting and recycling form a complementary relationship: the deposit scheme brings containers into organised channels, and sorting and recycling facilities prepare the recovered metal for further use.
Two decades marked in Berlin
The 20-year milestone was marked at anniversary celebrations in Berlin on June 17, 2026, where the European Commission and Germany's Federal Environment Ministry highlighted the scheme's contribution to the circular economy. EU Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall said all packaging, whether glass bottles, plastic bottles or aluminium cans, should be sent for recycling to increase efficiency, reduce waste and protect the environment. Antje von Broock, head of the department for circular economy, air pollution control and chemical safety at the Federal Environment Ministry, said the deposit-refund system makes a very important contribution to the circular economy today. DPG Managing Director Susanne Kürschner noted that the organisation and its partners had maintained the system's stability while making it more efficient, resilient, future-proof and scalable.
Germany's DRS also operates alongside broader packaging collection arrangements, including household sorting through the Dual System, commonly associated with the Grüner Punkt. The deposit scheme provides a dedicated route for eligible single-use beverage containers, while other packaging remains subject to the relevant collection and compliance arrangements. As Europe looks to strengthen packaging circularity, Germany's two-decade record offers a practical example of how collection systems can connect consumer behaviour with aluminium can recycling.