FAQ
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- Return of packaging
- Trouble returning the packaging
- Deposit
- Operation of the system
- Benefits of the system
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Contact usThe packaging is valid and accepted as long as the product (beverage) is sold on the Lithuanian market. In Lithuania, the product's barcode is declared no longer valid at least 12 months after the product ceases to be marketed. Therefore, if you accumulate packaging for more than a year, you risk losing your deposit.
You may return metal, glass or plastic packaging marked with the deposit system symbol. Packaging must be empty, it must have retained its original shape and its labels must be undamaged.
You will recover the deposit once you have returned the packaging that matches this description.
The deposit system covers beer, beer cocktails, cider, other fermented beverages, mixed alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, kvass, and all types of water, juice and nectars sold in glass, PET and metal (tin) packaging.
Only fruit wines and wine-product cocktails are part of the deposit system when sold in PET and metal packaging.
Check what packaging participates in the system here.
The packaging can be returned for a refund in all shops in towns and villages with an area of more than 60 sq m or other store with the trade area higher than 300 sq m.
You can find the locations that take accept packaging on the interactive map.
Place the packaging covered by the deposit system into the reverse vending machine, then press the button and take the receipt. Present the receipt at the cashier’s desk and recover the deposit. You may also use the receipt to pay for goods.
You can find full information on how to use the reverse vending machine on the informational poster next to the machine, or on the display of the reverse vending machine.
In the case of any trouble using the reverse vending machine (when returning the packaging or recovering the deposit), you will be assisted by the store staff or contact the Information Desk of the respective store.
Reverse vending machines accept bottles both with or without caps. However, returning the bottles with the caps on will contribute to a cleaner environment. Furthermore, leaving the bottle’s cap on makes it easier to preserve the shape of the bottle.
Yes, for the convenience of customers, reusable packaging bearing the deposit mark may be returned via the reverse vending machines.
The same requirements apply to both manually collected packaging and the containers returned via the reverse vending machines.
The deposit system takes in over 655 million packages a year. However, there are cases where the reverse vending machine does not accept packaging. Possible reasons for this are:
- The barcode on the packaging is scuffed, affected by moisture;
- The packaging is crumpled, compressed or otherwise deformed;
- The packaging is not completely emptied and there is some residual drink;
- For routine maintenance of reverse vending machine or technical reasons;
- The packaging form changed by the manufacturer has not yet been registered in the packaging register of the deposit system;
- The packaging is not registered in the deposit system of disposable packaging www.grazintiverta.lt/en
If the reverse vending machine does not accept the packaging that is marked with the deposit system symbol, which has retained its shape and has the barcode, please immediately notify the shop’s administration staff.
If no solution is found, please fill in this form by selecting the "Packaging is not accepted" column. We will contact you with more information and a solution.
If the shop has no reverse vending machine, but participates in the deposit system, the packaging may be returned at the cashier’s desk.
Make sure that the packaging is empty and has retained its original shape (it is not folded or creased), while also ensuring that the bar code on the label is intact.
If the reverse vending machine does not accept the packaging that is marked with the deposit system symbol, please immediately notify the shop’s administration staff.
Reverse vending machines recognise the packaging that is covered by the system according to its shape and label. If the packaging is unrecognisable due to damage, you will unfortunately not be able to recover the deposit.
If the reverse vending machine is not working, the buyer should contact the shop’s administration staff.
The amount of the deposit for a disposable drink packaging is 10 ct. The deposit is charged in the shop upon buying the specially marked containers and is once the customer returns the packaging.
No, a deposit is only accepted and repaid in the case of packaging that is marked with the deposit system symbol. If the buyer has noticed that a deposit has been collected for another form of packaging, they should contact the shop’s administration staff.
It is a special device designed for returning packaging in a convenient and simple way. Packaging placed into a reverse vending machine does not need to be separately sorted.
Statistics shows that disposable drink packaging is the biggest contributor to the pollution of our environment and that these materials often end up in landfill, even when they could be recycled.
Furthermore, people often leave soft beverage and alcopop packaging behind in the natural environment – in forests, at lakes and on the roadsides – even though the raw material that such drink packaging is made from decomposes over an extremely long period of time. For instance, glass only decomposes within 1 million of years, a plastic bottle decomposes within 450 years and a metal can decomposes in 200 years.
It is beverages and alcopops that are most frequently consumed in the nature and public place of leisure and entertainment. People leave this packaging behind in forests and parks, at the lakeside and on beaches, thus making them the biggest contributor to the pollution of our environment.
The deposit system is designed to motivate beverage consumers not to leave rubbish in nature, in public spaces, as well as to sort beverage packaging consumed at home and return it for recycling.
It is worth returning the packaging, because by returning the packaging, you contribute to the beauty of Lithuania and protect the environment from pollution.
The deposit system ensures maximum packaging collection and arrangement. The opinion poll conducted by Užstato Sistemos Administratorius VšĮ showed that 98% of the respondents admit that the introduction of the deposit system has reduced the amount of litter left in parks, at lakeside and other natural areas visited by people.
In addition, for each returned packaging you will recover a 10 ct deposit.
USAD collects more than 600 million units of packaging every year, comprising over 90% of all packaging placed on the market.
The packaging that is collected, both through the reverse vending machines and manually, travels to the counting centre, where it is counted, sorted and prepared for recycling.
At the counting centre, the glass packaging is crushed. The cullet is then transported to glass factories and melted into new products.
Learn more about glass packaging here.
At the USAD counting centre, the metal packaging is pressed, then forwarded for processing.
At the processor’s factory, it is finely chopped and stripped of paint at a high temperature. Clean aluminium is then melted into ingots almost 2 meters in width. These ingots will later become aluminium sheets that are used for forming new aluminium cans.
Learn more about metal packaging here.
At the USAD counting centre, plastic PET packaging is pressed into blocks and forwarded to the processor of PET raw materials.
The processor ensures that the packaging is washed, sorted and shredded. This new raw material, PET flakes, is then used in production of new products. passed on to recyclers.
USAD not only forwards plastic packaging for recycling, but also the plastic bags that are used for transporting the containers to the counting centre.
Learn more about plastic PET packaging here.
