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Useful Development Introduced in the Mandatory Bottle Return System

Hungary Today 2024.06.17.

MOHU MOL Waste Management has introduced a unique development in the domestic bottle return system, with the REpont app, which can be downloaded and used since the end of May to transfer the return fee immediately to the customer’s bank account.

The app was developed under the management of MOHU and by external partners, writes Világgazdaság. One of the convenience features offered by “REpont” is that after downloading the app and a short registration process, the user can request an instant refund at the “REpont” ATM by entering the bank account number. This requires downloading the “REpont” app and creating a unique ID.

Registration is completed by entering basic personal data and then, after two-factor authentication, a bank account number.

The user is then given a unique ID that can be scanned at the bottle return machines and used as the first step in the redemption process. After identification and return, the fee is paid to the bank account within a few seconds by clicking on the payout button on the machine’s display, according to the rules of the instant payment system. The quick and convenient application meets strict data protection security requirements and the process is completely paperless.

The “REpont” application also includes other useful features. By opening the locations feature, the customer can share their location details to view the nearest “REpont” machines, click on the points on the map to check the opening hours, address, and the type of beverage packaging accepted by the machine. The app also includes frequently asked questions and answers.

The “REpont” app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

The packaging of glass, metal, and plastic bottled beverage products, with the recyclable mark, can be returned to nearly 3,000 machines across the country. In Hungary, the return system has been in place since January, but the returnable packaging is gradually appearing on shop shelves as producers are allowed to put non-returnable drinks on the market until June 30.

Non-refillable, non-reusable packaging will be marked with a HUF 50 logo on the bottle.

The rule is very simple, if this logo is on the packaging and the HUF 50 (EUR 0.12) has been paid for the bottle, it is returnable. At the same time, the number of returnable bottles in shops is increasing, with more than one million bottles returned by Hungarian consumers so far, and this number is expected to grow quickly.

Photo: Facebook/MOHU

Fact

Some extra facts about the “REpoint” system:

  • The aim of the return system is to radically reduce the environmental pollution caused by plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles and to reuse as much of them as possible. The system is a sustainability scheme.
  • Up to 90 percent recycling can be achieved with the return system.
  • A HUF 50 return fee motivates the customer to return the bottle.
  • The returnable packs will gradually appear on shop shelves because manufacturers have been given a transition period until June 30.
  • Shops will have to indicate which packaging is returnable and which is non-returnable. 
First Bottles for Newly-Introduced Return System Arrive in Stores
First Bottles for Newly-Introduced Return System Arrive in Stores

The mandatory bottle return system came into effect on January 1, 2024.Continue reading

Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Facebook/MOHU


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