The deposit vending machine installed at a petrol station in Bratislava. (source: Courtesy of OMV Slovensko)
The network of places where people in Slovakia can bring PET bottles and beverage cans and collect deposits for them is being extended. The Austrian company OMV has started installing deposit vending machines at its petrol stations. The first one was installed at the petrol station at Račianska Street in Bratislava.
“Petrol stations are no longer just about fuel. We see them as full-service locations where customers can handle multiple needs,” said Miriam Fellingerová, retail manager at OMV Slovensko as cited by the SITA newswire, adding that one of them is the collection of returnable packaging.
The deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans was launched at the beginning of 2022. The scheme has proven to be successful in Slovakia.
For every bottle or can returned, the customer receives a voucher worth €0.15. The vouchers can be cumulated. Clients can use them to purchase goods and services, including refuelling. The system works in a similar way to that used in shops. Voucher can only be redeemed at the same place at which the clients returned a bottle or a can. However, unlike supermarkets, clients cannot cash in their vouchers.
The vending machine at Račianska Street is part of a pilot project while a similar machine first appeared at a petrol station in Nitra almost two years ago. If it proves successful, OMV Slovensko promises to install such vending machines at other petrol stations.
“The first reactions of customers are positive,” said Fellingerová.
