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From: Free Thinking Doggie
GROK: I witnessed some people on the streets of Budapest collecting empty plastic water bottles. Do they receive a payment for this ? And how much is it ? Thought for 8s Yes, they receive a payment through Hungary’s mandatory Deposit Return Scheme (DRS / REpont system), which has been in place since 1 January 2024 (with full rollout progressing through 2024). magicalapps.com Eligible empty plastic (PET) water bottles, along with certain glass bottles and aluminum cans, carry a refundable deposit of 50 HUF per container (roughly €0.13). Consumers pay this when buying the drink and get it back by returning the empty, intact container (with readable barcode/label and the special redemption logo, not crushed) to a reverse vending machine or manual collection point. repont.hu People collecting bottles on the streets of Budapest are typically gathering discarded eligible containers from public bins or litter to redeem that 50 HUF deposit each at REpont points (common in larger grocery stores over 400 m² sales area, plus many voluntary/manual sites). The system has notably increased collection rates and led to more people scavenging for returnable packaging. dailynewshungary.com Key detailsAmount: Fixed at 50 HUF for most single-use plastic, metal, and glass beverage containers from 0.1 to 3 litres (milk and milk-based products are excluded). Some reusable/multi-use packaging may have a different producer-set amount (often higher, around 70 HUF or more). hu.wikipedia.org How the refund works: Reverse vending machines usually print a voucher that can be used for purchases or exchanged for cash at the store’s checkout. Registered users of the REpont app can get an instant bank transfer. Donation to charity is also an option. Manual points may offer cash or purchase credit directly. repont.hu Only marked, intact containers put on the market under the scheme qualify. Older unmarked bottles generally do not. The deposit is refunded to whoever returns the eligible empty container, which is why collecting them from the streets provides income. Note that as of recent reports there have been discussions about potentially limiting or removing the cash-redemption option in favor of vouchers or bank transfers, but the 50 HUF deposit itself remains in place. dailynewshungary.com

Current Thread	Author	Time
Back home.... swim and a beer, waters is beautiful tonight and it's not busy....[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	18:52:37
>> The reward on bottles & cans should be copied everywhere. The people collecting ... [more]	Free Thinking Doggie	09:26:50
>> Olive oil here usually comes in a recycled water bottle. Hope they clean it first....[more]	JonH🍕	10:58:41
>> Clever. I may be there in the new year.	Free Thinking Doggie	11:46:09
>> Works out to a 10-15 % tax on the initial purchase.	Free Thinking Doggie	10:02:47
>> GROK:...[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	09:29:59
>> So 100 bottles or cans and you receive 5,000 Huf or about 13.7 Euros. Also ... [more]	Free Thinking Doggie	09:34:59
>> Better way to get their drug money than thievery	Hamsterwheel	09:41:26
>> Fuckin cynic. A good idea IMHO. ...[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	09:44:14
>> Agree it’s a good idea, just as it was in Blighty when we used to take ... [more]	Hamsterwheel	09:46:40
>> In 2027 we get it back here...[more]	Hamsterwheel	09:51:29
>> It’s a lot cheaper to create a new bottle than recycle one. I went ... [more]	Denc 🗡	18:26:12
>> Here in France was same with wine bottles when I first visited. Take ... [more]	Free Thinking Doggie	09:50:48
>> Only works if you have standardised bottles.	Hamsterwheel	09:52:41
>> Parks full of white people behaving themselves.	Free Thinking Doggie	22:53:59
>> ......[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	22:31:17
>> Hot night.....[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	21:51:26
>> Budapest.......[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	20:43:02
>> Szentendre......[more]	Free Thinking Doggie	20:27:53

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