Germany reports a 99 per cent recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans, the highest among the packaging materials covered by an International Aluminium Institute (IAI) study. The same study places PET bottle recycling at 95 per cent and glass bottle recycling at 81 per cent, with the aluminium can holding the top position consistently over the years.
Behind that figure is the country's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), widely known as Pfand. By giving empty beverage containers a financial value and making them easier to return, the scheme has built a collection network that supports aluminium recovery alongside plastic and glass packaging. Germany marked 20 years of its nationwide one-way deposit scheme in 2026.
How the deposit works
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 through an accepted collection point. Retail take-back, reverse-vending machines and standardised container identification have helped make returns part of routine shopping. According to supplied DPG material, the system handles around 20 billion containers a year and is the largest one-way deposit-return system in the European Union, with more than 1,000 companies affiliated as participants and partners.
From mandatory deposit to nationwide system
The current system took shape in stages. The mandatory deposit requirement was decided in 2003. In 2005, retailers and the drinks industry jointly established Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG) to develop a standardised framework for implementing the requirement. The nationwide DPG system for single-use beverage packaging came into operation in May 2006, supported by an extended take-back obligation that required the new arrangements to be in place from May 1 that year. The goal was an efficient system with common standards while allowing retailers, drinks companies and other market participants to manage their respective roles.
Why it matters for aluminium
For the aluminium industry, the main advantage is not simply the number of cans returned. It is the creation of a reliable, dedicated stream of used beverage cans that can enter organised collection and recycling channels rather than being lost in mixed waste. The refund gives consumers a direct financial reason to return containers, while container recognition and standardised identification help direct eligible packaging into separate collection streams. A refundable deposit can also help limit material loss by keeping eligible containers out of ordinary disposal routes.
Recycling capacity behind the system
Germany's high collection performance sits alongside a sizeable recycled aluminium industry. Supplied material estimates national recycled aluminium capacity at around 700,000–720,000 tonnes annually.
- Novelis operates its Nachterstedt facility, described in the supplied material as the world's largest aluminium recycling facility, with capacity to process up to 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually.
- Hydro-owned WMR Recycling GmbH in Dormagen supplies technology-driven sorting equipment and can sort 36,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap per year, using X-ray transmission and other sorting technologies.
- Trimet Aluminium SE has expanded its Gelsenkirchen recycling facility, increasing capacity by 20 per cent to 80,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium.
These operations highlight the link between collection and industrial recovery: DRS brings containers into organised channels, and sorting and recycling facilities then prepare the recovered metal for further use.
Twenty years and the wider packaging picture
The scheme's 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 its contribution to the circular economy. EU Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall said that all packaging — whether glass bottles, plastic bottles or aluminium cans — should be sent for recycling in order 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.