17.07.2026 11:40
As of July 1, 2026, a radical measure was taken in the Deposit Return System (DRS), which exceeded the 20 million refund limit in the first 10 days, against abuses where individuals occupied machines for hours using their relatives' identification information. Nurullah Öztürk, President of the Turkish Environment Agency, announced that as of tomorrow, logins using Turkish ID numbers and mobile phone numbers will be suspended for 2 months, and transactions will only be conducted via QR code through the 'DOA' mobile application.
As of July 1, 2026, the first weeks' balance of the Deposit Return System (DOA), officially launched across Turkey, has become clear. The system, which achieved great success by exceeding the 20 million return threshold in the first 10 days, is implementing radical measures against abuses that keep machines occupied for hours and exceed limits. TÜÇA President Nurullah Öztürk, speaking to CNBC-e, announced that as of tomorrow, entries using TR ID numbers and phone numbers will be temporarily suspended, and transactions will only be conducted via QR codes through the mobile app.
THEY BROKE THE LIMIT WITH RELATIVES' AND FRIENDS' TR ID NUMBERS
Following the system's activation, due to congestion at deposit return points and some users effectively 'holding machines hostage,' the ministry and agency took action. Stating that a per-transaction limit was set to prevent queues at machines, TÜÇA President Nurullah Öztürk explained that this limit was systematically breached by some users. Öztürk detailed the abuse method as follows: "We started with a limit of 200 total pieces in 4 parts. We tried to keep this limit low to avoid queues. However, we are also gaining new experiences during the integration period. Some citizens come with 1500-2000 packages. We saw practices exceeding this limit by entering friends', spouses', and acquaintances' TR ID numbers and mobile phone numbers."
ONLY "QR CODE" FOR 2 MONTHS
To prevent queues and ensure fair use of machines, entry procedures are completely changing as of tomorrow. Accordingly;
- Entries using TR ID numbers and mobile phone numbers will be restricted for a certain period.
- To process transactions at machines, only QR codes generated through the "DOA" mobile app can be used.
- This restriction will be continuously applied for the next 2 months to stabilize the system and fully prevent abuses.
GROCERS AND KIOSKS ARE BEING INTEGRATED INTO THE SYSTEM
Once the temporary congestion and integration issues are resolved, the system's coverage area will be further expanded. The ultimate goal of this recycling model, which achieved a record return figure of 20 million in the first 10 days, is to spread deposit return points to neighborhood levels. TÜÇA President Öztürk announced that by the end of 2026, traditional grocers and kiosks will also be integrated into the system, enabling citizens to easily make deposit returns at neighborhood grocers without needing to go to large supermarkets.