Liverpool supporters reportedly found an unexpected source of cashback during their Champions League trip to Austria, where LASK operates a deposit system for reusable drinking cups. According to reports, many fans spent the evening and the period after the match collecting cups from stands and concourses so they could claim the deposits.
The Austrian club has promoted a plastic-free stadium model and uses the deposit system to encourage spectators to return reusable containers rather than discard them. In this case, the routine return mechanism gave visiting supporters a way to turn abandoned beer cups into cash. The reports did not specify how many cups were collected or how much money was involved.
The episode places attention on how stadium operators use financial incentives to recover beverage containers. LASK’s model is designed around reusable cups and return points, with deposits acting as an incentive for spectators to bring containers back into the system. The club has presented the approach as part of a plastic-free stadium effort.
At the European level, UEFA claims to be placing greater emphasis on circular-economy measures in its club competitions. Liverpool has also publicised its own recycling record at Anfield, saying that more than one million plastic bottles have been recycled there over the past three seasons. The Austrian match highlighted how deposit systems can shape fan behaviour, while also showing that returning containers can have a direct financial appeal.