How Germany's Beverage Deposit (Pfand) Works
When you buy bottled water, soda, juice, or beer in Germany, a small mandatory deposit called Pfand is added to the shelf price at the register and refunded in full when you return the empty container:
- €0.25 Einwegpfand (Single-Use Deposit): Applies to almost all aluminum cans and thin single-use PET plastic bottles bearing the rectangular arrow-and-can DPG logo. Any supermarket with a return machine must accept these.
- €0.15 Mehrwegpfand (Reusable PET/Glass): Applies to thicker refillable mineral water bottles and swing-top (Bügelverschluss) beer bottles.
- €0.08 Glass Beer Bottles: Standard 0.33L and 0.5L crown-cap glass beer bottles.
How to Use the Supermarket Leergutautomat
Walk to the rear or entrance of any REWE, EDEKA, ALDI, or LIDL supermarket and look for the Pfandautomat / Leergutautomat. Insert bottles bottom-first (do not crush cans or remove barcode labels!), press the green receipt button when finished, and hand the printed paper slip (Pfandbon) to the cashier for cash or a deduction from your groceries.
Beer Garden & Christmas Market Mug Pfand (€2–€5)
At self-service beer gardens and Christmas markets, you will also pay a €2–€5 cash deposit on heavy glass beer mugs (Maßkrug) or ceramic mulled-wine mugs (Glühweintasse) along with a small plastic token (Pfandmarke). Return both the mug and token to the return window to collect your euros back.