The growing volume of plastic waste has brought us to a critical juncture globally. At the moment, only 2% of the world's plastic packaging is recycled in a closed-loop system, but with deposit return systems (DRS) for drink container recycling, that can change.

Norwegian brothers Tore and Petter Planke founded TOMRA in 1972 in response to solving a fundamental problem for retailers. They aimed to design the world’s first fully-automated reverse vending machine (RVM)—that accepts empty beverage containers and provides a refund or reward in return.

Fifty years later, TOMRA Collection is feeding the circular economy by merging technology with sustainable impact to lead the resource revolution through its Collection, Recycling, and Food divisions.

TOMRA Collection’s 95,000 reverse vending machines operate in over 60 global markets and transform how it obtains, uses, and reuses materials*. Shoppers visit their local supermarket with empty bottles and cans, insert them into a reverse vending machine, and receive a deposit refund when they’re finished. Returning drink containers for recycling reduces reliance on virgin raw materials and minimizes waste in streets, oceans, and landfills. TOMRA Collection’s reverse vending machines currently capture 1,500 bottles and cans every second—and over 57 billion containers a year.*

*Figures from 2026.

When the EU introduced its directive that member states collect 90% of plastic bottles by 2029, many experts agreed that this target would not be possible without efficient deposit return systems (DRS). Reverse vending machines are a key part of deposit return systems, which see up to 98% of all drink containers returned for recycling.

TOMRA Collection spent decades working on new developments to their machines, releasing cutting-edge RVM technology that opens new opportunities in reverse vending. Its RVM sensors collect data every time a bottle is deposited. With insights into recycling patterns, collection volumes, and material composition, TOMRA Collection can make data-driven decisions to improve its machines, from design and experimentation to consumer use. 

“Our ambition is to have machines that are always available and easy to operate,” says Marius Sommerseth, Head of Digital Products at TOMRA Collection. “TOMRA Collection started connecting machines 35 years ago, and by using the data we have built up over several years, we’ve gained a lot of insight that has enabled us to offer new models and services to meet customer needs.”

TOMRA Collection’s goal is to collect 500 billion containers per year, which will create a petabyte-scale of data. With an innovative cloud partner like Google, TOMRA Collection has the flexibility and scalability to constantly improve its services toward its customers.

This increases machine uptime and saves customers the cost of unnecessary or too-late repairs.

The Smart Service concept is taking a data-driven approach and using machine learning to offer proactive notifications about actions required at the machine, and information on cleaning performance and machine usage to better plan day-to-day operations. It also provides comprehensive updates when technicians carry out services, whether remotely or in-person. This offers customers more transparency, avoids unplanned repairs and ensures maximum machine up-time.

“With Google Cloud, we can prototype, learn, and iterate quickly,” says Sommerseth. “It gives our customers the opportunity to focus on their customers, and gives us a chance to innovate more tailored solutions to help the world recycle. It’s helping us make a positive difference for communities, businesses, and ultimately, the planet.”