More than two billion beverage containers with deposits are returned every year in Finland

Returning a bottle or can during your shopping is a fairly small act. But when all the small deeds of each consumer are added together, up to 2 billion containers are returned each year – a figure that makes a difference.

The journey of beverage containers continues from the reverse vending machines to recycling plants, where the material – glass, plastic or aluminium – is processed for reuse. The materials are used to make new bottles and cans, among other things.

The recycling of beverage packaging with deposits is an excellent example of a circular economy. How the material will be reused is considered already at the product design stage, and the entire recycling chain is implemented as environmentally friendly as possible. Beverage packaging recycling is a collaboration between beverage manufacturers, retail and consumers, and the consumer returns play a key role in the process.

What happens to bottles and cans after they are returned? Discover the route of the Mighty Empties and learn more about the journey of the packages with deposits.