Slovakia Launched Its Container Deposit Program in Just 10 Months

Swift implementation with impressive results

Customer

The history of Slovakia’s container deposit program dates back to 2003, when the first public discussions about its implementation began. Since 2019, these efforts have become more tangible, with the country defining a strategy focused on a container deposit program for PET bottles and steel and aluminum cans. As in Lithuania and Estonia, Slovakia’s container deposit program was designed to operate alongside the country’s existing separate collection system for plastics, which had been in place for years.

On January 1, 2021, the Ministry of Environment established the Deposit Return System Administrator as the governing body of Slovakia’s container deposit program. The administrator was created by a consortium of four nonprofit professional associations representing producers and retailers, covering 80% of products sold in plastic bottles and cans on the Slovak market and approximately 3,250 commercial establishments.

Project description

In March 2021, the newly established nonprofit organization launched an implementation phase, which included a tender for the supplier of the system, planned to go live on January 1, 2022. Expectations were very high, and the time pressure made the selection process even more challenging.

“We were looking for a reliable and responsible partner experienced in IT and digitalization, as well as knowledgeable in waste management,” explained Lucia Morvai, former Director of External Affairs & Communications, who worked for Správca Zálohového Systému during the years of the DRS launch.

Sensoneo succeeded in the selection process thanks to its expertise in digitalization and its track record with large-scale systems using its own reverse logistics solution, which helped large, nationally operating recycling companies and take-back operators automate and optimize their daily operations.

Slovakia’s container deposit system is a modern solution that ensures a smooth and continuous daily flow of reliable data, including features that make operations efficient and automated. The Sensoneo system is the backbone of all the processes stakeholders need to carry out their tasks and meet their goals—from manufacturers, distributors, collection points, and carriers to retailers, warehouses, consumers, recyclers, and government authorities.

All data is transparently recorded and protected – the life cycle of each container is traceable from its introduction to the market until it is returned in the form of recycled material for new bottles and cans.

All operations are performed in real time, including transportation route optimization and logistics planning, as the system is designed to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible.

For consumers, it is essential that participation is convenient. To achieve that, many processes must be executed flawlessly in the background: “Each step must be properly recorded and traceable so we can evaluate and prove the efficiency of the system. We are accountable to the producers who finance the system, to the retailers who take back the containers, and finally to the consumers who use it,” said Lucia Morvai, former Director of External Affairs & Communications for the DRS Administrator.

During the first six months after implementation, a transition period was in place in which deposit and non-deposit containers were sold on the market simultaneously. In addition to reverse vending machines, consumers also actively used the option to return containers using manual scanners – an approach commonly used in small stores and remote locations.

In addition, the system is continuously being upgraded to make it even more practical and convenient for consumers. There are also plans to expand it into new segments and introduce collection channels outside traditional retail locations to make the container deposit program even more convenient.