STOPP PILOTS RFID ENABLED REUSE SCHEME IN BRUSSELS RESTAURANTS

The STOPP project has launched a new pilot in Brussels in collaboration with four restaurants from Bambino Canteen and our project partner, reCIRCLE. The initiative is testing reusable food and beverage packaging through a delayed payment model powered by Kleenhubs Tap&Reuse technology. The system links the unique RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) of each reusable container to the customer’s payment card, allowing 10 days for its return. If the packaging is returned within this period, no payment is made. If not, a 10 euro charge is applied as a penalty rather than a refundable deposit.

The pilot aims to assess the potential of RFID as a tracking mechanism and to better understand consumer behaviour in comparison with traditional deposit return schemes already implemented across the reCIRCLE network. Customer surveys will be conducted to evaluate the perceived attractiveness, convenience and acceptance of both approaches, helping to generate evidence on effective strategies to prevent packaging waste and litter.

Originally designed as an A/B test between deposit return and delayed payment systems, the pilot had to be adapted at short notice due to technical limitations in the restaurants’ point of sale systems, which prevented deposit reimbursement. The STOPP consortium adjusted the methodology accordingly, reinforcing the evaluation component to ensure robust insights that can inform future reuse models and policy discussions on sustainable packaging solutions.