Germany has separate deposit systems for refillable and single use containers. Deposits for refillable bottles exist for both glass and a form of heavy duty reu

Germany has separate deposit systems for refillable and single use containers. Deposits for refillable bottles exist for both glass and a form of heavy duty reusable plastic. It is entirely unregulated but has nonetheless evolved to a high level of standardization. Most refillable glass bottles are one of a few standard shapes so it's rare to get a bottle rejected (all the branding is on single-use paper labels). Refillable glass is mostly the realm of local brands that have been doing it for decades, refillable plastic is limited to big brands like those of the Coca Cola Company. The deposit for single use on the other hand is mandatory (intended primarily to remove the convenience disadvantage of refillables) and is the realm of discount and/or novelty beverages. It was only introduced somewhat recently (post 2k) which means that most supermarkets have separate reverse vending machines if they automate returns: those for refillable, which need a large storage area in the back for the big volume of whole bottles and crates and those for single-use which can be placed anywhere because the containers are crushed.