Balashi Brewery Puts a Deposit on Aruba's Sustainable Future
By Leo Stemper [email protected]
Aruba produces more glass waste per capita than any other Caribbean island, yet landfill space is shrinking and recycling infrastructure is still developing. Highlighting the companies that voluntarily close the loop shows residents, businesses, and policymakers that a circular economy is already within reach.

by Tony Slavin

A Voluntary Deposit System—No Law Required
Cash-Back Incentive
Balashi Brewery introduced a cash-back incentive of AWG 0.20 per bottle (AWG 4.80 per case) even though Aruba has no mandatory deposit-return legislation.
Return Locations
The rebate applies when customers drop empties at the brewery or either of its Carry-Out Drive-Thru locations.
Customer Motivation
This simple reward "truly inspires customers, commercial and private, to value their empties and return them."
Five Lives for Every Bottle
Return
Bottles are returned to collection points
Inspection
Rigorous quality-control inspection
Washing
Thorough cleaning process
Refilling
Bottles are refilled with fresh beer
Recycling
After 5 uses, recycled as cullet
Returned bottles go through a rigorous quality-control inspection before being washed, refilled, and capped. On average each glass bottle is reused five times before it is finally recycled as cullet—cutting energy, water, and raw-material demand by up to 80 % compared with single-use glass.
Return Locations & Hours
Oranjestad
L.G. Smith Boulevard 122
San Nicolas
Doormanstraat 5
Hours
Monday–Friday, 08:00 – 16:30
Both sites accept returns Monday–Friday, 08:00 – 16:30, making the program convenient for households and businesses across the island.
Certified to Global Standards
Balashi backs its recycling pledge with internationally recognised management systems.
The Ripple Effect for a Circular Aruba

Policy Momentum
Blueprint for island-wide legislation
Tourism Branding
Strengthens Aruba's sustainability image
Landfill Relief
Four fewer bottles in waste stream
Landfill relief: Reusing a single glass bottle five times equals removing four new bottles from the waste stream.
Tourism branding: Visitors increasingly choose destinations with measurable sustainability credentials; Balashi's program strengthens Aruba's image.
Policy momentum: The brewery's success proves that deposit-return works—providing a blueprint for island-wide legislation covering all beverage containers.
How Consumers Can Help
Return, don't discard
Keep empties separate, rinse lightly, and drop them at a return station during business hours.
Buy local
Choosing Balashi's refillable bottles over imported single-use drinks directly reduces glass imports and waste.
Spread the word
Encourage bars, hotels, and friends to participate; shared returns lower everyone's carbon footprint.
A Call to Action for Businesses
Study Balashi's Model
If your company sells beverages, study Balashi's model and explore a voluntary (or better, collaborative) deposit of your own.
Seek Guidance
Aruba Recycling can provide guidance on logistical partners, cleaning technology, and public-awareness campaigns.
Embrace the Future
Balashi Brewery has shown that sustainability leadership can start with a single, tangible incentive—cash in your pocket for every empty bottle. By embracing international standards and building community-friendly return points, the brewery is not only brewing beer; it is brewing a culture of reuse first, recycle second, and dump never. Imagine the environmental impact if every producer on the island followed suit.
At unknown link, we think that future is bottled—and ready to be returned.