Business & Finance

Deposit return shop opens in Den Bosch

A Stationgeld Returnshop for empty deposit bottles and cans has opened at the De Rompert shopping centre in Den Bosch. It is the third such shop in Brabant, after locations in Tilburg and Breda. Customers can place around 100 bottles and cans at once into a bulk-return machine, after which the deposit can be paid out, donated or transferred. The shop is intended to offer a quicker and easier alternative to supermarket return machines, particularly for people with large quantities, although some visitors have questioned whether the additional location is necessary. According to Willemijn Bal of the shop, it was still not widely known but had already been busy at the weekend.

The shop is part of Verpact, which says the location is financed through the same deposit-system cash flows as other collection points. Those funds come partly from producers and importers and partly from deposits that consumers do not reclaim. Verpact said the system recorded €129 million in unclaimed deposits in 2025, while its total costs exceeded its revenue by €35 million; the deficit was covered by accumulated balances from earlier years. Plans are also in place for a similar bulk-return shop in Eindhoven.