Partnership for greater PET recycling

In collaboration with the non-profit organisation COREPLA, Interzero has launched a pilot project in Italy to return PET bottle deposits. With remarkable success.

ręce trzymające skaner i worek z butelkami PET

Beverage container deposit systems have been in place in Germany for a long time. The single deposit for PET bottles, for example, actively contributes to the avoidance of plastic waste and the recovery of raw materials for high-quality bottle-to-bottle recycling. The introduction of bottle return systems has also gained momentum in other European countries. Ultimately, it is important to reach the ambitious EU collection targets and to prepare for a possible Europe-wide deposit obligation from 2028. The countries that currently lack a legally established packaging return system are Poland and Italy. In both countries, Interzero supports its partners to close the loop, through advice, exchange of experience and specific projects.

PET collection project in Italy: Together with COREPLA, the leading national consortium for the collection and recycling of plastic packaging, Interzero launched an ambitious nationwide pilot project in Italy in 2022. The collaborating partners aimed to ensure comprehensive collection, traceability of PET streams and scalability of the solution. In the first phase, more than 100 returnable vending machines were installed in the outlets of major retailers. To motivate consumers to return empty PET bottles, Interzero also developed an app through which users can collect bonus points and redeem them for shopping vouchers.
The project was an immediate success: by the end of 2023, Italy had achieved an impressive collection rate of 78% of PET bottles from the market, already exceeding the EU’s target of 77% for 2025. COREPLA has received EU funding to expand existing capacity; within three years, a further 1,000 recycling machines will be installed in retail outlets. Interzero Italia is also benefiting from this: “We have created a win-win partnership that strengthens our strategic positioning and demonstrates our proven expertise in innovative business solutions,” says Sergio Patacchini, project manager at COREPLA. – says Sergio Patacchini, project manager at Interzero Circular Solutions Italia. ”The experience gained provides a solid foundation for the continued successful implementation of the project, and perhaps for supporting the roll-out of the deposit-refund scheme on a national scale.”.