Here’s free money most newcomers throw straight in the bin: your empty bottles and cans. In the Netherlands they carry statiegeld, a deposit you paid at purchase and get back when you return them. The trick is knowing how the supermarket machine works and what it’s all called. Here is the emballage hack, decoded.
What statiegeld is, and how much
Statiegeld is a deposit added to the price of many drink containers, refunded when you bring the empty back. As Statiegeld Nederland explains the system, the goal is to get packaging returned and recycled instead of littered.
The current amounts, per the inspectorate’s overview of the deposit on bottles and cans and the official deposit tariffs:
| Container | Statiegeld |
|---|---|
| Small plastic bottle (to 0.5L) | 0,15 euro |
| Can (blikje) | 0,15 euro |
| Large plastic bottle | 0,25 euro |
| Reusable glass beer bottle | ~0,10 euro |
| Full beer crate (krat) | ~3,90 euro |
It adds up fast, a week’s drinks can be a few euros back.
How the return machine works
The mechanics:
- Find the statiegeldautomaat (also inleverautomaat), usually near the supermarket entrance.
- Feed in your empty bottles and cans one at a time, it reads and tallies each.
- Press the button; it prints a bon (voucher).
- Redeem the bon at the kassa (till), off your shopping or as cash.
Bigger items like a krat usually go to the servicebalie (service desk) or a bulk point rather than the small-bottle machine.
Emballage and the krat
Emballage is the umbrella word for returnable/deposit packaging: the bottles, cans and crates that carry statiegeld. A krat is a crate, classically a bierkrat. Both the crate and its bottles carry a deposit, which is why a full one is worth ~3,90 euro back.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het statiegeld | the deposit |
| de emballage | returnable packaging |
| de statiegeldautomaat / inleverautomaat | deposit/return machine |
| de bon | the voucher/receipt |
| het blikje | the can |
| de krat / bierkrat | crate / beer crate |
| inleveren | to hand in / return |
Where it connects
Reclaiming statiegeld is part of everyday Dutch supermarket life, alongside navigating the Albert Heijn and the country’s wider sorting habit, see GFT, PMD and restafval recycling. It’s the same reuse mindset behind the kringloopwinkel, and a small earner after a hot weekend of drinks (when the heatwave alerts finally pass).
The bottom line
Don’t bin your empties. Dutch statiegeld pays you back: 0,15 euro per small bottle or blikje, 0,25 euro per large bottle, ~3,90 euro per full krat. Feed them into the supermarket inleverautomaat, take the bon to the kassa, and pocket the difference. Learn statiegeld, emballage, inleverautomaat and bon, and a chore turns into a small, satisfying refund every shop.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the everyday supermarket Dutch this involves, statiegeld, emballage, inleverautomaat, bon, krat by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can reclaim your deposit smoothly instead of staring at the machine or binning the bottles.
Frequently asked questions
How much statiegeld do I get back in the Netherlands?
As of 2026: 15 cents (0,15 euro) on small plastic bottles (up to 0.5L) and on cans (blikjes), 25 cents (0,25 euro) on large plastic bottles, and around 3,90 euro on a full crate of beer (krat, including the bottles), with reusable glass beer bottles about 10 cents each. You claim it back by returning the empties; the amounts are set nationally and didn’t rise in 2026.
How does the supermarket deposit machine work?
Almost every Dutch supermarket has a statiegeldautomaat / inleverautomaat (deposit/return machine), usually near the entrance. You feed in your empty bottles and cans one by one; it reads each and tallies your deposit. When you’re done you press the button and it prints a bon (voucher), which you hand in or scan at the kassa (till) to get the money off your shopping or as cash.
What is emballage and what is a krat?
Emballage is the general Dutch term for returnable/deposit packaging, the bottles, cans and crates that carry statiegeld. A krat is a crate, most famously a beer crate (bierkrat) holding bottles; both the crate and its bottles carry a deposit, so a full crate is worth around 3,90 euro back. You return crates at the service desk or a special bulk point rather than the small-bottle machine.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for supermarket shopping?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the everyday supermarket Dutch this involves, statiegeld, emballage, inleverautomaat, bon, krat, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you reclaim your deposit smoothly instead of staring at the machine or binning the bottles.
