Pollution from beverage containers in Italy has very specific names and surnames. And above all, it has dimensions that are anything but marginal. In fact, the picture that emerges from the results of the latest annual Brand Audit survey revealed on the occasion of Earth Day 2026 by the “A Buon Rendere” campaign is not at all rosy.
Despite the continuous commitment of volunteers, associations and citizens who collect waste dispersed in the environment every day, littering in Italy shows no sign of decreasing. On the contrary, there remains a true environmental emergency that requires structural interventions capable of acting at the root of the problem.
And not only that: the analysis highlights a direct link between the main brands in the beverage sector and the waste found in the monitored areas. Among mineral waters, San Benedetto stands out, while for beer Moretti and the Heineken group dominate. In the soft drinks sector, however, the names that occur most often are Coca–Cola and Red Bull. Ultimately, the beer sector confirms itself as the one most represented in the littering phenomenon, with 35% of waste from beverage containers detected. This is followed by bottled water with 33%, soft drinks with 26% and, to a lesser extent, wine and spirits with 6%.
Why beer? Because in Italy, unlike what happens in many other European countries, beer consumption still occurs mainly through disposable glass bottles rather than cans. The greater incidence of disposable glass containers for beer among the waste dispersed in the environment compared to other international contexts is also linked to the absence, in the Italian market, of a widespread offer of empty beer available in large-scale distribution.
Yet, a greater presence on the market should correspond to an equally significant responsibility in contributing to concrete solutions. Among these, the security deposit system is the one that has proven most effective in combating the phenomenon, also because the stakes are very high: every year in Italy over 8 billion containers escape recycling. An enormous waste for a country that imports almost half of the raw materials it needs and which sees the recycling sector, especially plastic, going through a critical phase.
For years, manufacturers have continued to blame individual behavior for littering. But the data debunks this version: in the 19 European countries where a deposit system has been introduced, the abandonment of containers has fallen dramatically. The mechanism is simple: you pay a small deposit at the time of purchase, which is returned by bringing back the empty container. The result? Collection rates above 90%, with peaks of almost 98% in countries such as Germany and Finland.
The brands
The analysis of ABR Radar data, relating to the 11,629 containers for which it was possible to identify the brand, shows that the 10 brands most present in littering constitute 65% of the total containers lost. Moretti leads the ranking followed by San Benedetto and Red Bull.
However, considering the groups with multiple brands in the portfolio, the Heineken group (which also includes Moretti and Ichnusa) ranks in first place, followed by San Benedetto, Coca Cola, and the Ab Inv group.
The evidence collected also through brand audits on the waste of beverage containers both when dispersed in the environment and when disposed of has pushed beverage producers in practically all European countries to support more effective EPR policies, such as security deposit systems (DRS) – says Enzo Favoino, scientific coordinator of the “A Buon Rendere” campaign. Currently, 19 European countries have already implemented such systems considering the recent departure of Portugal in April. Other countries such as Greece and the United Kingdom will be added by 2027. Unfortunately, Italy is not yet among them. We therefore hope for a speedy parliamentary process for the three legislative proposals for a security deposit in Italy presented by three important parties between the majority and the opposition which have been assigned to the Environment Commission of the Chamber.
The three legislative proposals
The recycling crisis, increasingly evident and with Italy at risk of not respecting European objectives, has had at least one concrete effect: shaking up politics. In fact, in Parliament there is a rare convergence on the issue of the security deposit (DRS). Three legislative proposals have already been presented, one for each of the main political forces:
All three proposals aim to introduce a security deposit system for disposable beverage containers in Italy too, already widespread in many European countries and capable of guaranteeing collection rates above, as we were saying, 90%.
On a procedural level, something has already moved: the proposals have been assigned to the Chamber’s Environment Commission, the first step to start a concrete discussion. The point, however, is time. Even if the legislative process started immediately, it would take around three years between approval, organization of the system and infrastructure. A delay that Italy, already struggling to meet its European objectives, risks not being able to afford.
