How much is the deposit on bottles and cans in Norway?

2 kroner for a bottle or can up to 0.5 litres, 3 kroner for anything larger. The deposit is added to the price at the till and you get all of it back when you put the empty container into a machine in almost any grocery shop. It only works for containers with the Norwegian pant mark.

Updated 26 September 2026 · Rates from NRK’s report on the change, in force since 1 September 2018; collection figures from Infinitum, the operator of the system · By Ksenia

The short version

• The rates: 2 kroner for containers up to 0.5 l, 3 kroner for larger ones. They were raised from 1 kr and 2.50 kr on 1 September 2018, the first change in 25 years.
• Where: a pantemaskin stands inside or just by the entrance of nearly every supermarket, and in many kiosks and petrol stations.
• What you get: a printed voucher. Use it against your shopping at the till, ask for cash, or press the button that gives the amount to charity.
• What counts: plastic bottles and aluminium cans for drinks that carry the pant symbol. Wine and spirits bottles, glass jars and milk cartons do not.
• Foreign containers: a bottle bought in Sweden, Denmark or Germany is not accepted — the deposit was never paid into the Norwegian system.
• How well it works: Infinitum reports a collection rate above 95 %, for the eleventh year in a row.

How the machine works

Feed the containers in one at a time, upright, with the barcode readable. The machine reads each one and counts up on the screen. Do not crush cans flat first — the barcode has to be legible, and a badly deformed can is rejected. Leave the caps on or take them off, it makes no difference.

When you are done, press the green button. The machine prints a voucher with the total. Hand it in at the till: the amount comes off your shopping, or the cashier gives you the cash.

What you can and cannot return

Look for the pant symbol printed on the label, with the amount next to it. Soft drinks, beer, cider, water and juice in plastic bottles and cans are almost always in the system. Wine bottles, spirits bottles and glass in general are not: glass goes into the glass and metal container at a recycling point, and a milk carton goes into the paper collection.

Bottles brought from another country do not work, even if they look identical. The pant is a Norwegian deposit, paid when the drink was sold in Norway.

What the money adds up to

A crate of 24 cans is 48 kroner back. A week of drinks for a family, returned in one go, is often a hundred kroner or more — which is why Norwegians keep a bag of empties by the door rather than throwing them out.

You can also give the amount away. The machines have a button for Pantelotteriet, which turns the deposit into a lottery ticket in support of the Red Cross.

If you are visiting

You pay the deposit whether you want to or not, so it is worth collecting your empties for a single trip to the shop before you leave. If you are camping or hiking, take them with you — the containers you find by a trail or a bench are usually collected within a day by someone else for exactly this reason.

Quick answers

How much is the pant? 2 kroner up to 0.5 l, 3 kroner above that.

Where do I return bottles? At the machine in any larger grocery shop; look for the sign pant or panteautomat.

Do I get cash? Yes — hand the voucher to the cashier, or use it against your shopping.

Can I return a bottle from abroad? No. Only containers sold in Norway with the pant mark.

What about wine bottles? No deposit. They go in the glass and metal container at a recycling point.

Do I have to crush the can? No. The machine needs to read the barcode. See also: buying alcohol and Vinmonopolet. See also: why Norway is expensive and how to save.

More on NorgeGuide

• Sorting waste and pant in Norway
• Recycling points in Oslo
• Recycling points in Bergen
• Recycling points in Trondheim
• Recycling points in Stavanger
• Which supermarket is cheapest in Norway
• Safety, sustainable travel and accessibility

Sources (checked 26 September 2026)

• NRK — new deposit rates for the first time in 25 years
• Packnews — the deposit rose on 3 September 2018
• Infinitum — over 95 per cent collection for the eleventh time
• Infinitum — what can be returned