---
title: "Portugal's Volta Bottle Deposit Becomes Mandatory on 10 August"
description: "From 10 August 2026, plastic bottles and drink cans without the Volta logo can no longer be sold in Portugal. What the €0.10 deposit means at the till, and how to claim it back."
url: "https://ultimateportugal.com/posts/portugal-volta-deposit-mandatory-august-10"
author: "Rex McIntosh"
author_role: "Founder & Editor, Ultimate Portugal"
author_url: "https://ultimateportugal.com/authors/rex-mcintosh"
publisher: "Ultimate Portugal"
license: "Free to read and quote with attribution to Ultimate Portugal."
review_status: "dated-report"
type: "news"
published: 2026-08-05
updated: 2026-08-05
facts_last_verified: 2026-08-05
category: "Daily life"
tags: ["volta", "deposit return", "recycling", "supermarkets", "cost of living"]
---

# Portugal's Volta Bottle Deposit Becomes Mandatory on 10 August

> Dated report. This article describes events and rules at the time reported. It is not maintained as current guidance. Review policy: https://ultimateportugal.com/corrections

## The short answer

From Monday 10 August 2026, shops in Portugal may only sell single-use plastic bottles and drink cans that carry the Volta deposit logo. Each one adds a refundable €0.10 deposit at the till. You get the money back by returning the empty container — intact, cap on, barcode readable — to a return machine, kiosk or participating café. Glass bottles and drink cartons are not included.

> Published 2026-08-05. News posts describe the rules as they stood on that date; the sources at the end are the primary record.

From Monday **10 August**, supermarkets, cafés and every other shop in Portugal that sells drinks may only stock single-use plastic bottles and cans carrying the *Volta* logo — the mark of the country's new deposit-return scheme. Anything without the symbol comes off the shelf.

For you, the change is already visible on the receipt: each marked bottle or can adds a **€0.10 deposit** at the till. It is not a price rise and not a tax. Return the empty container to an authorised point and you get the full amount back.

Nothing to apply for, nothing to register. The only thing worth learning is the return routine — and one habit worth breaking: stop crushing your cans.

## What changes on 10 August?

The deposit scheme itself is not new. It came into force on **10 April 2026**, and since then every eligible container placed on the Portuguese market has carried the Volta symbol and the deposit. What ends now is the four-month transition that let shops sell through their older, unmarked stock alongside the new. Under the scheme's rules, **9 August is the last day** the two versions of the same drink can share a shelf.

From the 10th, only Volta-marked containers may be sold. In practice most shelves turned over months ago — more than **10 million containers** came back through the system in its first two months alone.

## How much is the deposit, and which drinks carry it?

The deposit is **€0.10 per container**, whatever its size, and it is not subject to VAT. It applies to single-use drink containers of up to **three litres**, in plastic or in metal, that carry the Volta symbol.

| Carries the deposit | Does not |
|---|---|
| Plastic bottles up to 3L — water, soft drinks, juices, iced tea | Glass bottles |
| Aluminium and steel cans — beer, cider, energy drinks | Drink cartons (Tetra Pak and similar) |
| | Drinks that are more than 25% dairy, such as protein shakes |

Glass may join later. The environment minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, has said the government is open to extending the system to glass bottles, but only after weighing whether the benefit justifies the cost next to Portugal's existing bottle-bank network. For now, wine bottles and glass beer bottles are unaffected.

## How do you get your 10 cents back?

You return the empty container to an authorised return point. Four conditions, all checked at the machine:

- **Empty** — pour it out, nothing more;
- **Intact** — a crushed can or flattened bottle is refused;
- **Cap on**, for bottles;
- **Barcode readable**, because that is how the machine recognises an eligible container.

There are around **2,500 automatic return machines** (*Pontos Volta*) in supermarkets and hypermarkets, **50 staffed kiosks** across 38 municipalities, and participating cafés, restaurants and bars. The locator map at [volta.com.pt](https://volta.com.pt/) — also available as a mobile app — shows the nearest point.

The machine does not hand out coins. You choose between a **voucher convertible to cash** at the till, a shopping or discount voucher, credit on the shop's loyalty card, or donating the amount to a social institution. Vouchers are valid for **one year**.

A household habit worth forming: keep a bag for Volta containers next to the recycling, caps on, and empty it on the weekly shop. At a family's summer rate of water bottles and beer cans, the deposits are real money — a 24-pack of half-litre waters carries €2.40 of them.

## Does this matter if you are only visiting?

At the till, yes: your bottle of water costs 10 cents more than the shelf price says, and the receipt shows the deposit as its own line. There is no paperwork and nothing a tourist has to do.

Whether you chase the refund is a judgement about your own patience. Returning a holiday's worth of containers is perfectly doable — the machines sit in the supermarkets you are already shopping in — but if you do not, the deposit is not pocketed by the shop. Unclaimed deposits stay inside the scheme and fund its infrastructure. Think of an unreturned can as a 10-cent donation to Portuguese recycling.

## Why is Portugal doing this?

Portugal has committed to collecting **90% of these containers by 2029**, in line with EU targets. The deposit is the mechanism: a can with ten cents riding on it is far less likely to end up in a verge or a general-waste bin.

The system is run by **SDR Portugal**, a non-profit financed by the drinks producers themselves under extended producer responsibility, with an investment of roughly **€150 million** and no public money. The legal footing is the waste-streams law, Decreto-Lei n.º 152-D/2017, amended for the deposit scheme by Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2024.

If the groceries line in your budget is already tight, note that the deposit is recoverable spending, not a cost — our [cost of living in Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/cost-of-living-portugal) guide's grocery figures do not need adjusting, provided the containers go back.

## What should you do next?

- Budgeting a move? [Cost of living in Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/cost-of-living-portugal) breaks down honest 2026 grocery, rent and utility ranges by city and household.
- Choosing where those groceries get bought? [Porto vs Lisbon](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/porto-vs-lisbon) weighs the two cities on cost, climate and daily life.
- Just here for the summer? [The best time to visit Portugal](https://ultimateportugal.com/guides/best-time-to-visit-portugal) makes the case for the shoulder months, when prices and crowds both drop.

The scheme's rules, return network and covered containers will keep evolving — verify the current position at [volta.com.pt](https://volta.com.pt/perguntas-frequentes/) before relying on the details.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Volta deposit a new tax?

No. The €0.10 is a refundable deposit, not a tax — it is not even subject to VAT. You get the full amount back when you return the empty container to an authorised return point. Money from containers that are never returned stays inside the scheme and funds its infrastructure, not the state budget.

### Where can I return Volta bottles and cans in Portugal?

At around 2,500 automatic return machines in supermarkets and hypermarkets, 50 staffed Volta kiosks across 38 municipalities, and participating cafés, restaurants and bars. The scheme's site, volta.com.pt, has a locator map and a mobile app for finding the nearest point. The container must be empty, undamaged, with the cap on and the barcode readable.

### Do glass bottles and drink cartons carry the Volta deposit?

No. The scheme currently covers single-use plastic bottles and aluminium or steel cans up to three litres. Glass, drink cartons such as Tetra Pak, and drinks that are more than 25% dairy are excluded. The environment minister has said glass could be added later, but only after weighing the cost against Portugal's existing glass recycling network.

## Sources

- [Volta — Perguntas Frequentes (official scheme FAQ)](https://volta.com.pt/perguntas-frequentes/) — The €0.10 deposit and its VAT exemption, covered and excluded containers, 9 August as the last day of shelf coexistence, return conditions, refund options, one-year voucher validity, the return network figures, and unclaimed deposits staying in the system.
- [Governo de Portugal — Volta: Sistema de Depósito e Reembolso de embalagens entra em vigor](https://portugal.gov.pt/gc25/comunicacao/noticias/volta-sistema-de-deposito-e-reembolso-de-embalagens-entra-em-vigor) — The 10 April 2026 start, the 90% collection target by 2029, SDR Portugal as the non-profit operator, and the roughly €150 million producer-financed investment.
- [Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente — Sistema de Depósito e Reembolso](https://apambiente.pt/residuos/sistema-de-deposito-e-reembolso) — The legal basis: Decreto-Lei n.º 152-D/2017, as amended by Lei n.º 69/2018 and Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2024, and the scheme's scope.
- [Pplware/SAPO — A partir de 10 de agosto deixa de ser permitido vender bebidas em embalagens fora do Volta](https://pplware.sapo.pt/informacao/a-partir-de-10-de-agosto-deixa-de-ser-permitido-vender-bebidas-em-embalagens-fora-do-sistema-volta/) — The 10 August cutoff ending the transition that ran from 10 April, and the figure of more than 10 million containers returned in the scheme's first two months.
- [CNN Portugal — Governo admite um sistema de reembolso para embalagens de vidro](https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/garrafas/plastico/governo-admite-um-sistema-de-reembolso-para-embalagens-de-vidro/20260410/69d8e135d34edcee7c62e0ef) — 10 April 2026. Environment minister Maria da Graça Carvalho on extending the system to glass only after a cost-benefit analysis against the existing vidrão network.

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