A new chapter is opening for recycling and the circular economy in Greece. With the licensing of DRS Hellas by the Hellenic Recycling Agency, implementation of the Greek Deposit Return System, commonly known as DRS, is under way.

The new System covers single-use plastic bottles and aluminium beverage packaging of up to 3 litres. It is an integrated system for return, collection, recording, sorting and recycling, following a proven model already in use in 19 European countries, where it contributes significantly to achieving high recycling rates.

The DRS operates on a simple mechanism for refunding the deposit to the consumer. When buying a product that is part of the DRS, the consumer pays a refundable deposit of €0.10 for containers of up to 0.5 litres and €0.15 for containers above 0.5 litres and up to 3 litres. On returning the empty container to an approved return point, they receive the full deposit back via a return receipt that can be redeemed against their shopping. In this way, returning empty containers becomes part of the consumer’s daily routine, while plastic and aluminium are collected separately so they can be used again as raw material for new packaging.

Taking into account Greece’s particular needs, including its geography, its islands, the seasonality of consumption and tourism, the System is developing a nationwide return network. At full roll-out, within 2027, the network will comprise 8,700 return points in supermarkets, selected points of sale, public spaces and areas of tourist interest. Returns will be made both through automatic machines (Reverse Vending Machines, RVMs) and manually. By the time the System starts operating, 65% of the infrastructure is expected to be installed across the country. Through the development of this national infrastructure, the System is targeting separate collection of at least 90% from 2029.

For the first time, a project of this scale is being delivered on the initiative of, and with the active participation of, the market’s own businesses. Beverage producers and retailers are pooling know-how, operational experience and resources to create a modern, reliable infrastructure of national reach, in cooperation with the State and with the active participation of consumers. At the heart of the new System is the consumer and a change in the everyday relationship with recycling. The roll-out will be accompanied by an extensive information campaign, so that returning packaging becomes a daily habit and gradually shapes a new everyday culture in which packaging is treated as a material that comes back and gains a new life.

DRS Hellas operates without the aim of distributing profits from the operation of the System. Available resources are reinvested in the development, operation and continuous improvement of the return point network, in digital infrastructure, in the collection, transport and sorting of packaging, and in raising consumer awareness.

On the occasion of the System’s licensing and the start of its implementation, the Chair and the General Manager of DRS Hellas said:

Maria Anargyrou-Nikolic, Chair of the Board of Directors of DRS Hellas: “The licensing of the Greek Deposit Return System is a historic milestone for recycling and the circular economy in Greece. It marks the transition from planning to delivery of a flagship national project that aspires to change fundamentally the way we recycle.

The businesses participating in DRS Hellas are joining forces and taking practical responsibility for creating a modern, reliable and effective System, with transparency, rational costs and easy access for every consumer. We are not simply creating a new recycling system. We are laying the foundations for a new era in which recycling becomes a daily habit, the circular economy becomes practice, and Greece claims its place at the European forefront.”

Michalis Panagiotakis, General Manager of DRS Hellas: “Today is the result of long and systematic preparation. The plan we are implementing draws on proven European know-how while being adapted to the realities of Greece. It was preceded by the design and submission of a comprehensive business plan, as well as critical tender procedures based on international standards, conducted with strict criteria, full transparency and meaningful safeguards. With licensing, implementation of the plan begins, along with the development of the infrastructure and services required for it to operate across the whole country.

“Our goal is a DRS that is friendly to the consumer, reliable for the market and transparent at every stage of its operation. The philosophy of DRS Hellas comes down to a simple but fundamental principle: the life of a package does not end when it has been used. It continues when it is returned and its material once again becomes a valuable raw material for a new package.”