Germany's used aluminium beverage can recycling rate stands at 99%, the highest among the packaging materials covered in an International Aluminium Institute (IAI) study, according to the report. PET bottles follow at 95% and glass bottles at 81%, while the overall European figure is cited at 76.3%. Much of that collection performance rests on Germany's deposit return scheme, widely known as Pfand.
The scheme gives eligible single-use beverage containers a refundable deposit of EUR 0.25 (USD 0.28), which consumers recover when they return the empty packaging through an accepted collection point. Retail take-back, reverse-vending machines and standardised container identification have helped make returns part of routine shopping.
From a mandate to a nationwide system
Germany's mandatory deposit requirement was decided in 2003. In 2005, retailers and the drinks industry jointly established Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG) to develop a standardised framework for implementing it. The nationwide DPG system for single-use beverage packaging began operating in May 2006, supported by an extended take-back obligation that required the new arrangements from May 1 that year.
The system now handles around 20 billion containers annually, which DPG material describes as the largest one-way deposit-return system in the European Union. More than 1,000 companies are affiliated as participants and partners.
How the deposit scheme supports aluminium recycling
As described, the main advantage for aluminium is not simply the number of cans returned. It is the creation of a reliable, dedicated stream of used beverage cans that enters organised collection and recycling channels instead of being lost in mixed waste. The refund gives consumers a direct financial reason to return containers, while container recognition and standardised identification help distinguish eligible packaging and direct materials into separate collection streams. A refundable deposit can also limit material loss by keeping eligible containers out of ordinary disposal routes.
Recycling capacity behind the system
Germany's collection performance sits alongside a sizeable recycled aluminium industry. National recycled aluminium capacity is estimated at around 700,000–720,000 tonnes a year.
- Novelis operates its Nachterstedt facility, described in the supplied material as the world's largest aluminium recycling facility, with the capacity to process up to 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually.
- Hydro-owned WMR Recycling GmbH in Dormagen sorts 36,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap a year, using X-ray transmission and other sorting technologies.
- Trimet Aluminium SE expanded its Gelsenkirchen recycling facility, increasing production capacity by 20% to 80,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium.
These operations highlight the link between collection and industrial recovery. The deposit scheme brings containers into organised channels, and sorting and recycling facilities prepare the recovered metal for further use, forming a complementary relationship within Germany's aluminium can recycling story.
Two decades marked in Berlin
The scheme's 20-year milestone was marked at anniversary celebrations in Berlin on June 17, 2026, where the European Commission and Germany's Federal Environment Ministry highlighted its contribution to the circular economy. EU Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall praised the system's role in making packaging returns routine, saying all packaging, whether glass bottles, plastic bottles or aluminium cans, should be sent for recycling to increase efficiency, reduce waste and protect the environment. Antje von Broock, Head of the Department for Circular Economy, Air Pollution Control and Chemical Safety at the Federal Environment Ministry, said the deposit-refund system makes a very important contribution to the circular economy today. DPG Managing Director Susanne Kürschner pointed to the scheme's development over time, noting that the organisation and its partners had maintained its stability while making it more efficient, resilient, future-proof and scalable.
The deposit scheme also operates alongside broader packaging collection arrangements, including household sorting through the Dual System commonly associated with the Grüner Punkt. As Europe looks to strengthen packaging circularity, Germany's two-decade record offers a practical example of how collection systems can connect consumer behaviour with aluminium can recycling.