Reverse vending machines for the Polish deposit system
Poland's deposit system has been live since October 2025 and the grace period is over. Producers must prove a 77% collection rate or pay a product fee on every kilogram short. ACO Recycling machines, delivered, installed and serviced by ROLV Group.
The obligation is already running
This is no longer a change you prepare for. It is a rate you have to hit, with a cost attached to missing it.
Three machines, one clear ladder
All three run outdoors without a shelter, move on wheels, work from a standard 220 V supply at the same low 1.32 kWh, and carry a 21.5 inch screen you can sell advertising on. They differ in one thing that matters: how much they take, and whether they sort it.
E-1 3400
The entry unit. Smallest footprint, lightest by far and the quietest in the range, for sites where a machine has to fit rather than dominate.
Best for small-format stores with moderate return volume.
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K-3 3500
The first unit that separates streams. Adds the anti-fraud lock, auto-closing intake and readiness sensor that the E-1 class does not carry.
Best for stores that must hand over separated streams.
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K-3 TRIO T1800
Three separate containers including glass, taken without breaking. Capacity jumps by an order of magnitude, so emptying goes from a daily routine to an occasional one.
Best for high-traffic sites and glass-bearing deposit streams.
Request this modelWhere they actually differ
Four rows decide almost every case. Open the full sheet if you need to compare line by line.
| The decision rows | E-1 3400 | K-3 3500 | K-3 TRIO T1800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorts PET, alu and glass separately | no | yes | yes |
| PET / aluminium capacity (pcs) | 280 / 330 | 350 / 530 | 3800 / 4050 |
| Footprint | 0.85 m2 | 1.93 m2 | 3.35 m2 |
| Unattended operation ready | no | yes | yes |
Show the full specification sheet
| Specification | E-1 3400 | K-3 3500 | K-3 TRIO T1800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space and siting | |||
| Height (mm) | 1841 | 2027 | 2076 |
| Width x depth (mm) | 851 x 990 | 1263 x 1525 | 2023 x 1655 |
| Weight | 400 kg | 1600 kg | 2000 kg |
| Noise in operation | 50 dB | 60-65 dB | 60-65 dB |
| Capacity and speed | |||
| Throughput (pcs/min) | 23 | 60 | 60 |
| Containers | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Sorting and compaction | |||
| Piercing (densifying) | yes | no | yes |
| Shredder | no | no | no |
| Security and reliability | |||
| Anti-fraud lock | no | yes | yes |
| Auto-closing intake | no | yes | yes |
| Readiness sensor | no | yes | yes |
| Commercial | |||
| Side light boxes | no | yes | yes |
Identical across all three
Standard 220 V supply and 1.32 kWh in use. Outdoor operation with no shelter required, 0 to +42 C. Relocation wheels. Front and rear unloading into a bagged wheeled container. Full-bin signalling and intake blocking. Electronic lock with manual override on power loss. Recognition by EAN, shape, material and weight. 21.5 inch screen with advertising, any RAL colour, receipt and QR printing, app integration, LAN or 4G. Accepts PET up to 3 litres and aluminium up to 1 litre. Lead time 6-10 weeks depending on volume. None of the three crushes packaging or has a wall build-in option.
Three questions decide it
1. Do you have to hand over sorted streams?
If yes, the E-1 3400 is out regardless of anything else. It collects into a single container. Sorting into separate bins starts at K-3 3500, and only the TRIO adds a third container for glass.
2. How often can staff empty it?
The E-1 3400 holds 280 PET, the TRIO holds 3800. That is roughly thirteen times the volume for four times the floor area. On a busy site the cheaper machine is the one your staff walk to all day.
3. Is the machine unattended?
The anti-fraud lock, auto-closing intake and readiness sensor appear from K-3 3500 upward. The E-1 3400 does not carry them, which is fine under supervision and worth weighing where the unit stands alone.
Three ways to get a machine
Same equipment, same service. The difference is who carries the cost and when.
All-inclusive rental
Delivery, installation, warranty service and remote support included, for 3 or 5 years.
- No upfront capital
- Handling fee reduces the monthly cost
- Self-financing model
Purchase
You own the machine outright, with delivery and installation included.
- 2-year package included
- Warranty and annual services
- Licence and remote support
Leasing
Flexible leasing with delivery and installation covered.
- Warranty for the first two years
- Licence included
- Remote support included
A machine that stops earning is a machine that costs
Uptime is the whole point. ROLV handles the equipment end to end, so a fault does not become a week of lost collection.
- Delivery and installation by our own team
- Warranty service and scheduled annual maintenance
- Remote monitoring and management
- Data reporting and integration with existing systems
- Compliance support for Polish deposit-system operators
The deposit system in Poland, as it stands now
Poland's nationwide deposit system has been operating since October 2025, introduced under the Act of 13 July 2023 amending the law on packaging and packaging waste management.
The grace period is over: participating producers now place only deposit-bearing packaging on the market, and the range of covered packaging keeps widening. A producer who cannot demonstrate a 77% collection rate for bottles and cans pays a product fee of 1 zloty for every missing kilogram, and where the rate is missed that fee is split evenly with the system operator. A producer who never signed an operator agreement pays triple, 3 zloty per kilogram. The 77% rate holds through 2028 and rises to 90% from 2029.
Machines are also changing how they pay out: refunds increasingly go straight to a card or phone instead of a printed coupon. Manual collection remains a legitimate route, and is what most small and medium-format stores still use, which is precisely where a compact machine changes the economics.
Independently certified
Environmental and energy management systems certified by TUV NORD, which also covers the requirements set for contractors in public procurement.
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