On 9 June 2021, Veolia opened the first recycling plant in Norway for returnable PET bottles. "The system shows that we are at the forefront of the world, and I am looking forward to further steps towards the circular economy," said Finance Minister Sanner, praising the system after the tour. In May 1999, Minister Sanner put the Norwegian deposit system into operation with the first return of a beverage container at the machine. Today, 92 percent of the 585 million (2020) PET beverage bottles sold are collected. So far, around 22,000 tons of returnable bottles have been exported annually from Norway to Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands for recycling.
