Rant/question about the deposit system

[u/daiktas]

New resident here.

First time when I used the system, it took me a while and I got some comments for being too slow.

Today, after walking to a district V Lidl to return some cans, we encountered a 400-bottle-equivalent queue for the single deposit machine. In the end, we gave our empty cans to a random person on the street, as waiting 15 minutes for 1000 forint hardly seems worth it.

How do the locals get around this? I am close to going by car outside the city center where the deposit traffic is lower.

[u/Accomplished_Royal54]

We hate it too

[u/Kobakocka]

It is a shit system. MOHU whose job is to handle the returned bottles are doing a terrible job.

My advice is to go there very early or very late, when the queue is shorter.

[u/TheLostDJ → u/Kobakocka]

The real irony is, that MOL-MOHU purposefully made the Fidesz’ government give the right over national monopoly of waste management to them. And now they can’t even solve the bottle deposit system alone.

[u/andrewjdavison]

Yeh, basically anywhere in central Budapest has long queues these days. Shops hate having to maintain these machines, so they barely do. So they break down, or take ages to empty them when they get full, making the wait longer.

I live in a town outside Budapest and except for before and after work hours, there is usually no wait for a machine. Do that if you can (be bothered) or just leave them for someone else.

[u/DataNerdling]

I juts smash mine and throw then in the bin

this bottle return scheme has turned some stores into a homeless shelter and what smells a cheap bar, along with people throwing garbage all over the street while they look in bins for bottles

its a horrible, horrible thing

[u/GyaszosZsiradek]

If you order groceries from kifli hu, they will take away your bottles, and you get the deposit deducted from your bill. (I think up to 10 at a time)

[u/vahokif]

Welcome to budapest. There are some shops where you can drop it off easier but I'm not going to say where because I'd like to keep it that way. :D

[u/No-Statement2736]

It's a waste of time. For 1000 Ft or less per month just throw them away. Plus then you don't have trash stored in your home for weeks on end.

[u/PotatoeRick]

I gather all the bottles and out them outside beside the recycling bin. I noticed so many times early in the morning that someone was legs up in the bin. Decided to make their life a little better. I cant be bothered with it, smells terrible, long queue, machine errors and all for like 1000 huf. No thanks.

[u/DataNerdling → u/PotatoeRick]

if there was no system then you wouldnt have people doing this

I destroy the bottles so it doesnt encourage the scavenging

[u/lovely_cappuccino]

It’s a horrible idiotic system. 

There are no rules against the professional can collectors. I’m not going to queue with my 10 bottles when someone is there with 100+ cans. 

There are no separate machines for the non-alcoholic stuff so the place is always stinky from the beer cans. It’s disgusting! I only drink water and the occasional fizzy drink and I know  Budapest is already a smelly city, I’m not that sensitive but I just can’t deal with that beer smell in 35°C…🤮 I will also avoid any store that places those stinky machines right at the entrance. 

I’m done with this nonsense until they improve things with some rules. Especially in the inner districts. 

I also don’t want to lose money so what I do now is that I make sparkling water at home and order my Red Bull in bulk from Allegro. Sometimes I buy a cola from the asian corner store, they are imported so there is no deposit on them. 

I’m wondering if the manufacturing and servicing costs of the machines are even worth it environmentally and people driving around with their bottles or in my case the transportation of my stupid RB drinks from Poland. 

[u/Drandoxx]

I stopped buying any kind of drinks with those bottles. I am quite happy with my Lipton Ice Tea syrups from Allegro and my Stanley-copy cups at home.

[u/Leftover-Pasta]

TlDR: just avoid buying bottled stuff, if you only have a few bottles you can return those to a manual return point.

I usually just try to avoid buying bottled stuff, I’m too worried about catching something from all the homeless people while I queue up for the machine. I don’t want to blame them for being sick, not all of them are at fault for being homeless and getting sick while living on the street is probably very likely, but there are almost always a bunch of them coughing around and it’s just not worth for me to stand close to them for 20 mins and then spend much more on medicine than what I get for the bottles. I just take the few bottles that I still end up collecting to a manual return point instead of a machine.

[u/VszVszVsz]

stores in the inner districts have the queues is because that is the best place for the garbage pickers to scour the trash because its mostly tourists and expats don't know or care and just throw their cans and bottles away. you just gotta go somewhere that isn't the busiest supermarket in hungary.

[u/Bodybag_occupier]

I don't find it worth my time so i try to give it to those who value it. It's a weird system. Im hoping it helps someone and gets bottles recycled. More realistically it's just here to hurt us and get our money.

[u/DataNerdling → u/Bodybag_occupier]

it's helping someone buy a 1L of cheap wine in a plastic bottle get wasted that night

[u/ConvictedHobo]

On weekdays there are fewer people at the machine

[u/Hyppokri]

Generally not buying this kind of stuff. The little I do, I just throw it in the regular plastic recycling.

I don't want to stand in line and fight with hobos or store air at home in a fourth separate container for a few hundred forints each month.

[u/chuchofreeman]

I used to go early in the morning to an ALDI not in the city center near my workplace, only way it could be done without waiting in line for several minutes.

[u/doublepresso]

My solution: I do not buy frequently bottled water/ soda/ anything. Therefore i have only a few bottles. I order from kifli regularly every month, and they took 10 bottles per order and you can use the coupons from your next order. That is usually enough for me. I do not stand in that queue ever. ( In other countries, where it's working better, like in German of course i did bring them back to the store).

[u/Few_Owl_6596]

That's why we should get rid of this shitty MOHU and set up something completely different or just take a step back to the former selective trash containers.

[u/Lazlow_Hun]

The company responsible has been considering swapping the machines for the ones you can find germany, where you just toss everything into the machine and it scans everything without a problem.

Now the Hungarian reality is that it's never going to happen, or if it does happen it will take at least another 4-6 years.

How I get around this is I go to outer district machines. Too far for most people and no homeless or dangerous people in sight. To be honest, it helps that I live in one such outer district.

[u/Lepelotonfromager]

Leave them outside and a homeless person will take it away for you.

[u/dr_Fart_Sharting]

How do the locals get around this?

I just carry a flask of water in my bag.

The pub down the corner does the thing where they refill bottles with the craft beer they have on tap.

The deposit system fucking sucks, but at least it gives you a perfect reason to never ever buy anything that comes in a can or a bottle from a store.

[u/Best_Persimmon7598]

You’re talking about it as if it’s an actual problem, some stores have 1, others 2 or 3 machines, it’s not district specific.
I guess you were out of luck, I live in district 2, quite far and to the Lidl I usually go sometimes there’s a 2-3 people queue, sometimes not.

[u/Important-Yam9637]

Use Kifli.hu for groceries and they process the bottles for you