The deposit on plastic bottles and cans will not be almost doubled next year, despite collection rates being well below the target, the infrastructure ministry said on Thursday.

Instead Verpact, the organisation charged with running the deposits system, says it will install thousands of new return points, repair broken machines more quickly and introduce a reward system to encourage consumers to bring their bottles and cans back.

Verpact is required to collect at least 90% of all bottles and cans, but the target has not been met for years. In September, the environment inspectorate warned the organisation it faced a penalty if collection rates did not improve.

The foundation pledged to take action and had considered raising the deposit rate, but that plan has now been dropped.

Instead, Verpact has agreed to install nearly 3,000 additional return points at supermarkets by the end of next year. It will also double the number of collection points at festivals and events, repair return machines twice as quickly as it does now, and ensure machines accept damaged or dented bottles and cans.

The organisation will also launch a rewards scheme in which people who hand in bottles or cans can win prizes. Verpact has not yet said what the prizes will be or what the odds of winning are.

The inspectors had wanted deposits on small bottles to rise to €0.30 and on large bottles to €0.40 from January 1, an increase of 15 cents on the current rate. As an alternative, the agency suggested consumers could receive a 15-cent bonus when returning bottles for which they paid a 15-cent deposit.

Verpact said in September nearly a quarter of all plastic bottles carrying a deposit were not returned last year, leaving consumers €139 million out of pocket.

In 2024, 77% of bottles with a 15- or 25-cent deposit were handed in for recycling, up from 74% a year earlier. Deposits were introduced four years ago to boost plastic recycling and reduce litter.