Danish city automates recycling for takeaway cups

'World's first' reusable, takeaway-packaging system has been launched by TOMRA and the Aarhus municipality in Denmark.

The three-year project will allow consumers to return different food and drink packaging to automated collection points throughout the city.

These will be accessible 24/7 and will reimburse the deposit from when the product was purchased, which consumers can access with a contactless payment device.

The system will initially be for hot and cold drinks containers only.

'I hope that the residents of Aarhus will embrace this new to-go cup system and that during this pilot project we will hopefully be able to take the next steps needed to expand the system to include several types of takeaway packaging,' says Nicolaj Bang, Alderman for Technical Services and Environment, Aarhus Municipality

TOMRA will empty the machines and transport the packaging to an industrial facility for sanitisation and quality control, to be available when retailers order supplies.

The system is designed to negate businesses collecting and sanitising their own packaging.