The question

If the Deposit Return Scheme obliges us to install Reverse Vending Machines because “if you sell drinks, you must take containers back and refund the deposit”, how do we stop RVMs being just a regulatory cost line and instead turn them into a driver of revenue, loyalty and insight?

The direct answer

RVMs will sit in your stores whether you monetise them or not. The winning strategy is to treat them as high‑engagement touchpoints rather than “automated bottle bins”. Using:

• A dual incentive layer (deposit refund plus optional loyalty/app reward),
• A data layer (linking returns behaviour to customer IDs), and
• A media and promotion layer (selling screen inventory and container‑based offers),

you can generate new income streams and strengthen customer loyalty. At scale—hundreds of stores—the media and promotional value alone can materially offset, or even exceed, the operating cost of the RVM estate.

From mandatory return point to engagement hub

Under a typical DRS, the rule is simple: if you sell in‑scope drinks, you must provide a way for consumers to return containers and get their deposit back. Doing that manually:

• Consumes staff time.
• Occupies counter or storage space.
• Is messy and more exposed to fraud.

Automating returns with RVMs solves the operational problem but creates a new question: now that the machines are there, how hard can they work for the business beyond compliance?

Three levers are key:

1. Loyalty and data capture at the end of the return session.
2. Contextual promotions linked to what has just been returned.
3. Monetising the media screen as premium in‑store inventory.

Layering loyalty on top of deposit refunds

The basic DRS flow is:

• Customer returns containers.
• RVM validates and counts them.
• RVM issues a printed voucher for the total deposit value, redeemable at checkout.

That alone satisfies the law. To turn it into an asset, you add a facultative layer at the end of the session:

1. The machine prints the standard deposit‑refund voucher as usual.

2. Before closing the session, the RVM invites the user to scan their loyalty app or card.

3. The machine now knows:

   • How many containers were returned (for example 8).
   • The anonymised loyalty ID (for example 123456789).

4. It sends this pair (containers, loyalty ID) to your back‑end via the fleet portal.

5. Your loyalty system:

   • Credits points or “recycling badges” to that user.
   • Stores behavioural data for future analytics and targeting.
   • Optionally pushes a notification to the user’s phone.

This does three things for the retailer:

• Increases loyalty adoption: customers have a new reason to enrol and use the app.
• Creates a behavioural data asset: you can see who is returning what, where, and how often.
• Opens a door to partner‑funded rewards: suppliers can fund extra points for certain patterns without changing the statutory deposit component.

Privacy is respected because the RVM only ever sees a number of containers and an ID; all customer‑level insight is built within your existing loyalty environment.

Container‑aware promotions: from “generic refund” to smart incentives

Once you connect container returns and loyalty IDs, you can start to shape promotions around actual recycling behaviour. For example:

• A user returns a set of containers from Brand A.
• At the end of the session, they scan their loyalty app.
• Your promotions engine uses that event to:
  • Offer a discount on a different product or brand.
  • Offer bonus points if they buy a specific multipack on the same trip.
  • Trigger a campaign that nudges them towards a premium or private‑label alternative.

Crucially, the promotion does not have to be tied to the brand that was returned. You might, for example:

• Detect that the user tends to return “cola‑type soft drinks”.
• Offer them a targeted discount on a competing soft drink, a healthier alternative, or your own label.

The RVM’s role is simply to:

• Detect and count containers.
• Provide a hook into your loyalty stack at the moment of highest engagement.
• Display a confirmation and, if desired, a short message about the reward on screen.

All of the actual promotional logic and commercial decision‑making happens in your existing marketing systems.

The media screen: from static compliance box to paid‑for digital real estate

RVMs are unusually powerful media assets because:

• They command attention: users stand in front of them, interacting for 10–60 seconds.
• They often have a micro‑queue: 2–3 people waiting, facing the screen.
• The context (recycling, sustainability, saving money) is strongly positive.

Adding a high‑quality media screen turns this into premium in‑store inventory. For example:

• While the machine is idle, you can run:

  • Retailer brand messages.
  • DRS “how to” content.
  • Supplier advertising and co‑funded campaigns.

• During a return session, you can:

  • Show simple instructions and progress.
  • Overlay subtle offers or messages aligned with the transaction (for example “use your voucher on X today”).

A retailer with, say, 500 stores and one RVM per store effectively controls 500 digital faces in high‑engagement locations. That can be packaged and sold to suppliers as:

• A monthly “slot” across the whole network.
• A campaign bundle (for example, two weeks on all RVMs, plus app push, plus in‑store POS).
• Part of an ESG‑themed or “recycling hero” programme with participating brands.

Because the RVM audience is captive and the context is strong, this inventory can often be priced above other in‑store digital media on a cost‑per‑view or cost‑per‑impression basis. At scale, that revenue line can significantly offset:

• Machine leasing or depreciation.
• Service and maintenance contracts.
• Incremental staff time for bag changes and cleaning.

Making the RVM “sweat”: thinking like a media and data platform

To move from theory to practice, it helps to treat each RVM as three assets in one:

1. Compliance engine

   • Satisfies DRS requirements automatically.
   • Minimises fraud and manual handling.
   • Provides robust reporting to the DMO.

2. Engagement and data capture device

   • Connects physical returns to your loyalty ecosystem.
   • Generates session‑level behavioural data.
   • Powers personalised or segmented incentives.

3. Digital media surface

   • Displays high‑value messages at the exact moment of interaction.
   • Can host supplier campaigns sold on a clear, scalable tariff.
   • Differentiates your proposition to both customers and brands.

Recyclever’s approach—combining DRS‑ready mechanics with a significant media screen—is designed around this “sweat the asset” philosophy rather than treating the RVM as a sunk cost.

Practical steps for retail teams

For commercial, marketing and operations teams, a practical roadmap often looks like this:

• Phase 1 – Compliance and basic vouchers

  • Install RVMs and integrate with POS for deposit vouchers.
  • Stabilise operations and ensure DRS compliance.

• Phase 2 – Loyalty integration

  • Add optional loyalty scan at end of session.
  • Start accruing basic data (containers per customer, frequency, store mix).
  • Run simple, broad‑brush rewards (for example double points for all returns this month).

• Phase 3 – Media and supplier monetisation

  • Formalise RVM screen inventory in your media rate card.
  • Offer bundled campaigns to beverage and FMCG suppliers.
  • Pilot container‑aware offers (for example targeted category promotions) via the loyalty app.

• Phase 4 – Optimisation and innovation

  • Use data to refine which messages run where and when.
  • Experiment with dynamic creatives (for example different content by time of day or store type).
  • Explore closed‑loop, non‑DRS use cases in specific channels (travel, campus, events).

At every phase, the guiding principle remains the same: the RVM is not just a cost of compliance; it is a touchpoint. The more intelligently you use that touchpoint, the closer you come to a model where the machine pays for itself.

Check Recyclever RVMs here https://www.recyclever.com/reverse-vending-machines