Germany reports a 99 per cent recycling rate for used aluminium beverage cans, the highest in a European packaging picture the country puts at 76.3 per cent overall. The figure comes from an International Aluminium Institute (IAI) study, which also credits Germany with 95 per cent recycling of PET bottles and 81 per cent for glass bottles. Behind the aluminium result is the country's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), widely known as Pfand, which gives empty beverage containers a refundable value and a dedicated route back into collection.
A deposit system assembled in stages
Germany's single-use beverage deposit system did not appear all at once. The mandatory deposit requirement was decided in 2003. Two years later, in 2005, retailers and the drinks industry jointly set up Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG) to build a standardised framework for carrying the requirement out.
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. According to the supplied DPG material, the aim was an efficient system with common standards while letting retailers, drinks companies and other market participants manage their own roles.
Consumers pay a EUR 0.25 (USD 0.28) deposit on eligible single-use beverage containers and recover it when the empty packaging is returned through an accepted collection point. Retail take-back, reverse-vending machines and standardised container identification have helped turn returns into part of routine shopping.
The system now handles around 20 billion containers a year, making it the largest one-way deposit-return system in the European Union, according to DPG. More than 1,000 companies are affiliated as participants and partners.
Why DRS matters to aluminium specifically
For the aluminium industry, the value of DRS is not only the number of cans returned. The scheme creates a reliable, dedicated stream of used beverage cans that enters organised collection and recycling channels instead of being dispersed into mixed waste.
The EUR 0.25 (USD 0.28) refund gives consumers a direct financial reason to bring containers back. Retail take-back points and reverse-vending machines make that process convenient, while container recognition and standardised identification help distinguish eligible packaging and route materials into separate collection streams.
The result, according to the supplied material, is a substantial and recurring flow of packaging for recovery. A refundable deposit can also limit material loss by keeping eligible containers out of ordinary disposal routes.
Industrial recovery capacity behind the scheme
Germany's collection performance sits alongside a sizeable recycled aluminium industry. The supplied material estimates national recycled aluminium capacity at roughly 700,000–720,000 tonnes a year, with several large operations forming the downstream end of the chain.
- Novelis operates its Nachterstedt facility, described in the supplied material as the world's largest aluminium recycling plant, 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 a year, using X-ray transmission and other sorting technologies.
- Trimet Aluminium SE has expanded its Gelsenkirchen recycling facility, lifting production capacity by 20 per cent to 80,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium.
These operations show how collection and industrial recovery connect. DRS brings containers into organised channels, and sorting and recycling facilities then prepare the recovered metal for further use. The two functions are complementary rather than competing parts of the same system.
Two decades of DRS
The scheme's 20-year milestone was marked at anniversary celebrations in Berlin on June 17, 2026, with the European Commission and Germany's Federal Environment Ministry highlighting its contribution to the circular economy.
EU Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall praised the system's role in making packaging returns a routine part of everyday life, saying that 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 pointed to the system's development over time, noting that the organisation and its partners had maintained its 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.
Reading the record
The 99 per cent figure for aluminium cans reflects a system that pairs a small, refundable deposit with a dense return network and standardised identification. For aluminium, the practical effect is a steadier supply of used beverage cans than mixed-waste collection alone would deliver, feeding a recycling industry with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of annual capacity.
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. The scheme's stated emphasis on efficiency, resilience and scalability points to the operational questions other markets face as they weigh similar deposit arrangements.