Once, with a two-page form, answered in two working days, and then a one-page monthly return of containers placed on the market. There is no registration fee and no annual charge.
The things people ask at the counter
What is a container worth?
Ten cents for glass up to 750ml, fifteen above it, eight for PET up to a litre, twelve above it, and eight for an aluminium can. The value is set by material and size rather than by brand and it is identical at all forty-one depots.
What condition does it need to be in?
Empty, with the neck intact for glass, and with a readable barcode for PET and cans. Labels, caps and ordinary dirt are all acceptable and no depot may refuse a container for those. Crushed PET is fine if the barcode survives.
Is there a minimum?
No minimum, no maximum, no card and no app. One bottle is a valid return. If a depot is short of cash it must say so at the door rather than after you have queued, and a depot that does not is reported and logged.
Where does the money come from?
Producers pay the deposit into the scheme fund when they put a container on the market, and you pay it at the till as a separate line on your receipt. It is not a tax and it does not belong to us; the unredeemed portion funds the scheme and is published with the annual figures.
How do I become a depot?
A two-page application, answered within a week. You are paid two cents per container handled, settled fortnightly, at the same published rate as everybody else. You need somewhere dry to store containers and enough float to pay refunds in cash.
Run a shop, or put containers on the market?
Join the scheme