In the Netherlands, returning bottles and cans for a deposit is part of everyday shopping. Most people only see the front of that process: the machine, the infeed and the deposit voucher. Far fewer see what has to happen behind it for the system to work every day.
Envipco was recently featured on the Dutch TV programme Bouwen aan de Toekomst (Building the Future). In a four-minute feature filmed at our office and at return locations in the Netherlands, our CEO José Matthijsse explains what reverse vending machine (RVM) technology has to get right, and Maxine Koelemeij, team leader of our service team, shows what keeps those machines running in the field.
The full video is above, in Dutch with English subtitles. Here is what it covers.
Recognition: the job an RVM cannot get wrong
Every container that goes into a reverse vending machine has to be recognised, registered and sorted. That sounds simple, but it carries the financial integrity of the whole deposit return system (DRS). If a machine accepts a container on which no deposit was paid, money leaves the system that never came into it.
At the same time, shoppers expect the return to be quick. A machine that is accurate but slow creates queues, and queues put people off returning their containers at all. The technology has to do both jobs at once: check every container reliably, and process it fast enough that nobody waits.
Bulk feed: a whole bag in one go
Alongside machines that take containers one at a time, Envipco builds bulk feed machines such as the Envipco Quantum. With bulk feed, shoppers empty an entire bag of containers into the machine in one go, with PET bottles and aluminium cans mixed together. They don't have to handle each item separately, which makes the return faster and cleaner.
The first Quantum in Bunschoten-Spakenburg shows how shoppers respond to it. Since 2024, that single machine has accepted 10 million beverage containers. Demand was high enough that the location has since installed a second machine of exactly the same type. Read how the site reached its first 7.5 million containers.
Consumer recycling a massive bag of empty beverage containers with Quantum Bulk RVM
The work behind the scenes
A deposit return system needs more than good machines. It needs management, maintenance and people in the field to keep every return point working. That is where Maxine and our service team come in.
When Maxine arrives at a location, she checks how the machine is operating, whether everything is running smoothly, and whether store staff are getting held up anywhere in the process. Because the Envipco Quantum only need to be cleaned and emptied once a day, shoppers experience very little downtime.
The work itself calls for a broad skill set. Service engineers deal with pneumatics, hydraulics, water and everything else that goes into a modern RVM. As Maxine puts it in the feature, the people who do well in this job are the ones who look at a problem and see a challenge they can solve.
For retailers choosing an RVM supplier, this side of the system deserves as much attention as the machine itself. Who keeps it running, how often it needs attention and how quickly problems are spotted all decide what shoppers experience at the return point.
Solar-powered machines: the future of RVM technology
The feature also looks at where RVM technology is heading next. Solar-powered machines remove the need for a three-phase power connection, which can make it easier to install a return point in more places. In good summer weather, they can run without drawing any power from the grid. The Netherlands is set to become the first country globally to have a Solar powered Quantum bulk RVM with the installation scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2026.
Quantum Bulk RVM with solar panels resting on top of the machine
Does this apply to other markets?
Deposit return systems keep PET and aluminium in circulation. Containers that are collected separately can be recycled into new packaging, which reduces the need for new raw materials and cuts CO2 emissions.
New European legislation is now bringing deposit return to more countries. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets a 90% separate collection target for single-use plastic bottles and metal beverage containers by 2029, and many countries aim to go further.
For markets that have just launched their systems, such as Poland and Portugal, and those preparing to launch, such as Spain and the UK, Envipco's experience in the Netherlands points to the same conclusion. A deposit return system works when technology, ease of use and organisation come together, from the busy return point at the front to the maintenance work behind it.
Planning return points for your locations?
Whether you run a single store or a national network, we can help you choose the right machines and plan the service behind them. Get in touch with our team.
Prefer not to? Then try out our free RVM calculator and get an instant RVM recommendation: envipco.com/calculator
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