From April 10, 2026, all beverage bottles and cans sold in Portugal will include an additional deposit of approximately ten cents, which will be refunded to consumers when they return the containers to manual collection points or automatic machines.

According to Diário de Notícias, the measure is the result of an imposition of Brussels’ environmental policy and comes into effect within the framework of the Deposit and Return System (SDR Portugal), which aims to reduce the production of new packaging, avoiding up to 109,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), while creating approximately 1,500 direct and indirect jobs.

Data from Eurostat shows that in 2024, Portugal had the third lowest rate of recycled material use in the European Union, with 3% of materials recycled. For comparison, the European average is 12.2%, about four times higher. Only countries like Romania, Ireland, and Finland are behind Portugal in this regard.

The Deposit and Return System will cover not only large commercial areas but also restaurants, hotels, and cafes, with approximately 80,000 integrated points of sale. SDR Portugal plans to install 2,500 automatic collection points, 8,000 manual collection points, and six processing centres for sorting and consolidating packaging, with two main units in Lisbon and Porto.

The system also includes 50 automatic kiosks in high-traffic areas, intended to reinforce collection and prevent the incorrect disposal of packaging, and will cost between €100 and €150 million, according to estimates from SDR itself.