Have your deposit collected: how the free collection works

Crates are piling up in the storage room. Fourteen of them, for weeks now. Someone would have to drive them to the reverse vending machine, feed them in one by one, wait for the receipt — and then what? That effort is the reason why empties are left sitting in many companies, clubs and households, even though everyone knows there is money in them.

This is exactly where a collection comes in. It takes over the part that nobody enjoys: the transporting, the redeeming, the settling up. What remains is the collecting — and the decision about where the proceeds go.

This article describes how it works in practice: who it is worthwhile for, how to store empties correctly in the meantime, when the best time to register is, and which mistakes make a collection unnecessarily laborious.

Why empties are left sitting

It is rarely a question of willingness. It is a chain of small hurdles that together are enough to keep putting the matter off:

The transport. Empties are bulky. Anyone without an estate car needs two trips or has to ask someone for help.

The machines. Feeding in larger quantities one by one takes time. At peak times you queue, and some machines stop accepting after a certain amount.

The responsibility. In companies and clubs, usually no one is explicitly responsible. What everyone considers sensible but no one is assigned to simply does not happen.

The return. For the individual, the amount is small — for the whole, it is not. It is precisely this imbalance that makes the effort seem not worthwhile for anyone.

A collection clears all four hurdles at once.

Who a collection is suitable for

Not every quantity justifies a trip. It makes sense wherever a certain amount accumulates regularly:

• Companies with a drinks vending machine, canteen or coffee kitchen
• Clubs with a clubhouse, home matches or regular events
• Schools and educational institutions
• Property management companies and larger residential complexes
• Restaurants & bars and event venues
• Private individualswho have been collecting over a longer period — for example after a party

We operate throughout Germany and in Austria. If you are unsure whether your quantity is enough: just ask. We will tell you honestly if it is not yet worthwhile and you are better off collecting until more has accumulated. Other recurring points — costs, container size, effort within your organisation — are answered in the frequently asked questions.

What is actually in a crate

Many people underestimate the value of their stockpile because they think in single bottles. The statutory amounts are quickly explained:

• 25 cents on drinks cans and single-use plastic bottles — this is the standard rate for anything that comes from a vending machine or drinks retailer.
• 8 or 15 cents on reusable glass bottles, depending on the type of container.
• 1.50 euros on a full crate of reusable bottles — the crate itself counts too.

Do a rough calculation for yourself: one crate with twenty single-use bottles is five euros. Ten such crates, as they accumulate in a company over a quarter, are fifty. At a collection point that runs all year round, the total reaches an order of magnitude that a project can actually do something with.

The point is not the individual bottle. The point is that small amounts add up over time and quantity — and that otherwise they simply go to waste.

What you need to do — and what you don't

The division of labour is simple.

Your side: collecting, storing the empties somewhere dry in the meantime, letting us know when there is enough. On collection day, having someone reachable who can show us the access.

Our side: arranging the date, collecting, sorting, redeeming, settling up and passing the proceeds on to the agreed project.

You do not need to count, sort or redeem receipts. The collection costs you nothing.

Storing empties correctly in the meantime

The most common reason for a laborious collection is poor storage. Four points are enough:

Dry and covered. Wet empties are heavier, unpleasant to handle and attract insects. A covered spot is enough; it does not have to be a heated room.

In bags or crates, not loose. Loosely piled empties cannot be loaded sensibly. Deposit bags or stackable crates make the difference between twenty minutes and two hours.

Separated by type, if it can be done without effort. Cans and PET bottles in separate receptacles are helpful, but not a must. If the separation already happens when items are dropped in — for example with two collection containers — it takes care of itself.

Accessible. A storage spot on the third floor without a lift makes every collection considerably longer. Ground level and close to a driveway is ideal.

What does not belong with the empties: packaging without a deposit, glass bottles from retail without a deposit symbol, damaged cans and anything that is not a drinks container. This is easier to sort out while collecting than afterwards.

The best time to register

Get in touch before your storage space is full — not afterwards. Two reasons:

Firstly, arranging a date takes a few days. Anyone who only calls once the room is overflowing has a space problem in the meantime.

Secondly, the quantity is easier to estimate then. A rough indication is enough: how many bags or crates, mostly bottles or cans, and where exactly it is stored.

For ongoing collection points, a fixed rhythm is advisable instead of individual requests. If you know that a collection takes place every eight weeks, you plan your storage space accordingly and do not have to think it through anew each time.

How a collection appointment works

1. Enquiry. You get in touch with your location, approximate quantity and a contact person.

2. Scheduling. We suggest a time window that fits your availability.

3. Collection. The empties are loaded. Depending on the quantity, this takes between a few minutes and a good hour.

4. Redeeming and settling up. We take care of this completely.

5. Passing on. The proceeds go to the project you helped choose.

You will find the details and the enquiry form under Have your deposit donations collected.

Where the proceeds go

Entirely to charitable projects — no share is withheld. You have a say in which project is supported; the selection can be found under Donation Goals and ranges from food banks and educational projects to nature conservation initiatives.

For companies and clubs, this is the real difference from a normal return: a tedious task becomes a statement you can tell people about — on the intranet, in the club magazine, to customers. And a verifiable one, because there is a named project behind it.

How to get others to collect with you

In companies and clubs, the quantity stands or falls with whether people join in. Three things work, a fourth does not.

Say what it is for. “We collect deposits” moves no one. “We collect for the food bank” does. A named goal is the single most effective lever — and the reason why choosing the project is not a mere formality.

Keep the route short. Anyone who has to walk through half the building to drop something off will do it once. The collection point belongs where the drinks are emptied.

Report back in between. After the first collection, a short note on the intranet, the noticeboard or in the club magazine: what came together and where it went. That is the moment that turns a one-off effort into a habit.

What does not work: Competitions between departments or teams. They produce three good weeks and then a slump that goes deeper than before. What lasts is routine, not incentive.

And a practical tip: explicitly allow empties to be brought in from home. This often increases the quantity more noticeably than any appeal — and costs nothing.

Collecting without your own container

To start with, you do not need to buy anything. If you first want to try out whether collecting is worthwhile, you can make do with what is already there:

Sturdy boxes or drinks crates in a fixed spot, clearly labelled. A sheet of paper reading “Empties for [project name]” is enough as an initial label.

A lockable side room as interim storage, so that the collection point itself does not overflow.

After a few weeks you will know how much actually accumulates at your place — and whether a proper collection container is worthwhile. This order is the more honest one: measure first, then buy. We do not advise anyone to get a container before it is clear that it is needed.

A one-off collection or collecting permanently?

Both are possible, and the decision depends on whether empties accumulate at your place on an ongoing basis.

One-off suits after a party, a move, or when things have accumulated over the years. All you need for this is an enquiry.

Permanent collecting is worthwhile wherever something accumulates every week. Then your own collection container makes sense: it makes the collecting visible, prevents empties ending up in general waste, and replaces the crate storage. What matters when choosing one is covered in our buying guide; the models themselves are in the Shop.

The container is a one-time purchase — the collection remains free of charge in both cases.

Collection or the donation button on the machine?

Many supermarkets now have a button on the reverse vending machine that lets you donate the receipt directly. The obvious question: why a collection, then?

Both have their place, and it depends on the quantity.

The donation button is ideal for the weekly shop. You are there anyway, the receipt is small, one press is enough. For private households with a manageable volume, this is the most convenient way — and frankly the better one, because no vehicle is moved.

The collection comes in where the machine reaches its limit: with quantities that no one wants to transport by car any more, with companies, clubs and institutions, and everywhere collecting is to be organised on a permanent basis. There, the machine solution fails not through lack of will but through logistics — exactly the hurdles from the beginning of this article.

The second difference concerns the destination: at the machine, you donate to the project the store has chosen. With your own collection point, you have a say in where the proceeds go — and can also name it to employees, members or parents.

So if you have ten bottles at home: use the button at the supermarket. If there are fourteen crates in the storage room: get in touch with us.

What happens to the material afterwards

The redeemed empties enter recycling via the deposit system. PET bottles and aluminium cans are recyclable materials that can be collected sorted by type; through the return, they enter a cycle that gives them a second round.

If the same bottle ends up in general waste, this route is blocked — it is incinerated. That is the unspectacular part of a collection, but the tangible one: it ensures that packaging arrives where it belongs instead of ending up in incineration.

Four mistakes that make a collection laborious

Registering too late. When the storage space is full, pressure builds that no one needs. Get in touch when you have reached two thirds.

Storing loose. By far the biggest time-eater when loading. Bags or crates cost next to nothing and save hours.

Having no one reachable. If no one can unlock the storage room on collection day, the trip was in vain. A mobile number provided in advance solves this.

Foreign material mixed in. Packaging without a deposit has to be sorted out. If you do this while collecting, you save yourself the trouble later.

Frequently asked questions

What does pickup cost?

Nothing. There are no costs for you.

From what quantity is it worthwhile?

That depends on the distance and quantity combined. Just send an enquiry — we will tell you honestly whether it already adds up or whether you are better off collecting a while longer.

How often can collections take place?

As often as your volume requires. For ongoing collection points, it is best to agree a fixed rhythm.

Do I have to count or sort beforehand?

No. A rough indication of the quantity is enough. We take care of the sorting.

Will I receive a confirmation?

Talk to us. What is possible depends on the specific situation and is clarified case by case.

Does this also apply in Austria?

Yes. We operate throughout Germany and in Austria.

We only have something on a one-off basis — is that possible too?

Yes. After a party, a move or a club celebration, more often accumulates in one go than otherwise in a whole year. A one-off collection is just as possible as a regular one; you need neither a container nor an agreement for it.

What happens if there is foreign material after all?

No drama. We will sort out a few pieces of packaging without a deposit. It only becomes critical when the larger part of the load is not deposit material — then the collection turns into a disposal run, and that is something we cannot provide.

Can we expand the collecting later?

At any time. Many start with a few crates, see after a quarter how much actually accumulates, and then set up a permanent collection point. This order is the more sensible one.

What about reusable glass bottles?

They carry a lower deposit and are considerably heavier. Talk to us if larger quantities accumulate — there is no blanket answer.

In brief

A collection takes over the part where things otherwise fail: transport, machine, settlement. What you contribute is dry storage in bags or crates, timely notice and someone who is reachable on the day.

In return, empties that would have sat in storage become support for a project you chose yourself.

Do you have something sitting there? Write to info@spendedeinpfand.com or get in touch via the contact page. Tell us your location, the approximate quantity and when you can be reached — we will sort out the rest.