MaxiMat Töcksfors attracts customers with TOMRA R1, the latest revolution in reverse vending 

TOMRA R1 is TOMRA’s latest innovation in reverse vending. It is a multi-feed reverse vending machine allowing customers to pour in entire bags of containers in one go, offering a recycling experience up to five times faster than single-feed RVMs, since containers do not need to be inserted one by one. MaxiMat Töcksfors in Sweden has been one of the first to pilot TOMRA R1 in their store. According to store manager Thomas Nilsson, the pilot TOMRA R1 has worked very well, saying “we feel very proud to have one of the first of these machines”.  

Recycling just got more wow  

“You can just pour in your bags and trays, finished in an instant”, “cleaner, faster” and “absolutely superb!”, are just some of the ways that MaxiMat Töcksfors’ customers have described the new RVM. Because TOMRA R1 is a multi-feed RVM, consumers can now pour a whole bag of empty bottles and cans into the machine. Not needing to touch every container makes recycling both cleaner and faster.

Faster recycling also means less queuing in front of the RVM, creating an overall better recycling experience for consumers that brings them back for more. “We often have customers that come and shop every 14 days, or once a month, and then they come with big bags. This makes it really important to have good reverse vending service,” said Thomas, who prides himself on making his customers happy.  

More containers in the loop  

Thomas also explains how important it is for him to protect the environment. By making recycling easier he believes that fewer people will throw the containers away and instead choose to recycle them. “Today’s customers want things to be easy and fast, and they don’t want to get their hands sticky so that they need to wash them.”  

After installing the TOMRA R1, MaxiMat Töcksfors has almost doubled the number of containers they collect per day. “Every day we receive on average about 13 000 bottles and cans. Last year the number was around 7000-8000!” Not only does Thomas find this great for the environment, but also good for business: “After using the machine, people tell us that they will be telling others about it. So, we experience that the machine in itself drives more customers to our store. And if they recycle here, they usually shop here,” said Thomas.