TOMRA Reuse system in Aarhus

The TOMRA Reuse system in Aarhus provides a unique convenience for businesses that offer takeaway food and drinks (like cafés and quick serve restaurants), as well as for consumers. The system is designed as an open system, meaning packaging from different packaging providers can be returned 24/7 to a shared infrastructure of automated collection points in a city.

High return rates are ensured by placing a deposit fee on the reusable packaging, which can be refunded in full to the consumer when the packaging is returned to any automated collection point in the city.

The payment system is enabled through a collaboration with Visa, MasterCard and Shift4, a leading provider of integrated payment and technology solutions.

In addition to providing the automated collection machines for the reusable takeaway packaging, TOMRA is also responsible for emptying the machines and transporting the packaging to its own industrial sanitization facility that it has set up in Aarhus. The sanitized cups are quality inspected and then ready to go back into the system when retailers order new supplies via an online webshop.

With this system, businesses don’t need to take back and sanitize packaging themselves, which has been a struggle for most alternative reuse-based takeaway packaging systems. The combination of automated collection and industrialized sanitization means that the system can be scaled to a future where reusable packaging is the norm in society.