Turkey Launches Nationwide Deposit‑Refund Packaging Scheme on July 1

Starting 1 July, Turkey will roll out the Deposit‑Refund on Packaging (DOA) system overseen by the Ministry of Environment and the Turkey Environmental Agency. The program digitally tracks containers from production to recycling and initially covers 0.33 L, 0.5 L and 1.5 L bottles, with larger sizes to follow.

Consumers will pay a 1 lira deposit on eligible PET, glass and metal containers and receive a refund when returning them to reverse‑vending machines. The government aims to raise the national recycling rate from about 13 % in 2013 to 40 % by 2026, reclaiming roughly a quarter of all packaging waste. Officials expect the scheme to lower the need for imported raw materials and reduce the country’s import bill.

Industry participants, such as water bottlers, have already adapted their caps, labels and packaging to display the recycling logo required under the new rules.