How does the bottle deposit work in Denmark?
Yes — deposits are mandatory, and the system is the world's best-oiled: over 90 % comes back. The rates: Pant A = DKK 1 (glass bottles and cans under 1 litre), Pant B = DKK 1.50 (plastic bottles under 1 litre) and Pant C = DKK 3 (all containers of 1–20 litres). Shops selling drinks must take marked containers back — with a reverse-vending machine they must accept every type, without one only the types they sell. The deposit pays out in cash or as a receipt. The trap is the container itself: crushed cans and unreadable marks get rejected by the machine, and then it is a trip to the customer-service desk. The border loophole is closing: under the EU deal, German border cans join the Danish system by 2029.
📋 The rules
- Pant A: DKK 1 — glass bottles and cans < 1 l
- Pant B: DKK 1.50 — plastic bottles < 1 l
- Pant C: DKK 3 — containers 1–20 l
- Shops with machines: must take all deposit marks
- Containers must be empty with a readable mark (ideally uncrushed)
🔓 Exceptions
- No deposit mark (foreign purchases): no payout — border cans join by 2029
- Wine and spirits bottles: outside the return system (glass containers)
- Shops without a machine: only obliged to take back the container types they sell themselves
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There is no penalty for the consumer — nobody is obliged to return a container. The cost is pure self-harm: bin the can and you gift the system your own deposit, and a household's yearly pant easily runs to several hundred kroner. Shops that refuse to take marked containers back against the rules, and producers or importers who never registered with the return system, can be sanctioned by Dansk Retursystem and the Environmental Protection Agency. Unregistered drinks may not be sold in Denmark at all.
📎 Official sources
- Dansk Retursystem · Deposit marks and rates (DA) →
- Environmental Protection Agency · Deposits (DA) →
- Environment Ministry · German cans by 2029 (DA) →
❓ Frequently asked
Why does the machine reject my can?
Usually because the deposit mark or barcode cannot be read — crushed cans and dented bottles get rejected. Hand them in at customer service instead; containers must be empty with a readable deposit mark.
Must shops take containers they don't sell?
If the shop has a reverse-vending machine, it must accept all marked single-use containers — A, B and C alike. Without a machine, the shop only has to take back the types it sells itself.
Is there a deposit on juice?
Yes — the system has expanded steadily and today covers most drinks, not just beer and soft drinks. Check the deposit mark on the label: an A, B or C means the deposit is paid and can be reclaimed.
What about German border cans?
They have historically carried no Danish deposit and ended up as litter in the ditches. Under the EU deal they get a deposit by 2029 at the latest, and the border-shopping loophole closes with them.
What is each deposit rate?
Pant A is DKK 1 for glass bottles and cans under 1 litre, Pant B is DKK 1.50 for plastic bottles under 1 litre, and Pant C is DKK 3 for containers of 1–20 litres — the big plastic bottles.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “bottle deposit denmark”
- “pant system copenhagen”
- “reverse vending denmark”
- “deposit rates denmark abc”
- “german cans deposit 2029”
- “shop refuses to take pant denmark”