Tomra R1 Series

1,300 mm wide, 3,350 mm deep, 1,800–1,940 mm high: those are the front-unit dimensions in the Tomra R1 datasheet (manufacturer figures). Height adjusts by 140 mm. The footprint is 4.42 m², the weight 601 kg, and the infeed cone starts 1,200 mm above the floor.

The 3,350 mm depth drives the site planning. Front unit, infeed and backroom form one system, so floor loading and routing need checking for the whole installation. A single MultiPac Air backroom cabinet adds 1,400 × 1,000 mm and 390 kg according to the German Tomra product page. That figure belongs to the backroom, not to the R1.

Customers use a 21.5-inch touch display. Staff use a separate 10.4-inch operator touch display. A thermal receipt printer is part of the front unit. Standard colours are light grey NCS S3005-R80B, dark grey NCS S7005-R80B, red NCS S1580-Y90R and black, with glossy or matte front doors. Custom colours and decor print are available on request.

Indoor use only. The datasheet specifies +10 to +40 °C and a maximum of 90 % relative humidity, non-condensing. An unheated store entrance in winter falls outside that range. An IP protection rating is not published.

Optional configurations are a power socket, a drain collector, an express mode lock and a loyalty reader. Whether these are fitted has to be specified in the quote.

Rationale for the Design & Build axis: the rating rests only on the documented dimensions, colour and configuration options and environmental limits. The large footprint, the indoor-only limit and the missing IP rating are named as constraints. Build quality, materials and durability were not assessed hands-on.

Recognition runs on TOMRA Flow Technology. According to the datasheet, it combines 360-degree instant recognition, shape recognition, full container detection, barcode recognition and metal detection. Security mark recognition is optional and depends on the market.

The machine is a multi-feed unit. Customers load more than 100 plastic bottles and cans in one go, which Tomra says is up to 5 times faster than traditional reverse vending machines (manufacturer claim, per the R1 product page). The stated peak is up to 120 containers per minute. Tomra notes that this varies with market, deposit rules, system requirements and backroom type.

Connectivity is limited to what the datasheet lists: LAN (Ethernet TCP/IP), POS compatibility, and compatibility with TOMRA digital solutions and APIs. The drop-and-go function requires the Consumer Engagement API. WiFi, Bluetooth and payment features are not listed in the sources reviewed and are therefore not claimed here.

Power supply is split. The front unit needs 400 V AC three-phase with ground, 50 Hz, 16 A. The air compressor is fed separately by 2x 230 V AC single-phase, 50 Hz, 10 A. Active power of the front unit is 576 W and idle power is 80 W. The backroom has its own figures and is not included.

Noise is stated as LAeq 75.4 dB for the front unit (manufacturer figure, not measured by us). That is a continuous level, so a position next to a checkout lane or seating area needs a sound check on site.

Tomra also publishes promotional results. Stores switching to the R1 collect on average 85 % more volume and 33 % more customer sessions, across 600 installations in 16 markets. In 2021, 100 % of 119 respondents in Norway, Sweden and Finland preferred the R1 over single-feed machines. These are manufacturer claims and are not independently verified.

Rationale for the Technology & Features axis: the rating rests only on the documented feature set, namely multi-feed input, 360-degree recognition, LAN and POS connectivity, and the optional configurations. Throughput, recognition accuracy and the promotional results are manufacturer claims. Connectivity beyond LAN and POS is not documented. No hands-on testing or independent measurement was performed.

Tomra describes proactive remote monitoring and a network of field technicians on the English product page. The German page names TOMRA Systems GmbH in Langenfeld as the local office. The range of service contracts in Germany is not itemised publicly.

Cleaning steps and intervals are not given in the datasheet or product pages reviewed. Daily time effort, wear parts and repair costs are not published either. Operators should obtain these from the service contract before signing.

Warranty: not published on the product page or the datasheet. It has to be settled in the offer.

Rationale for the Operation & Maintenance axis: the score rests only on what Tomra documents, namely remote monitoring, a field technician network and a named local office in Germany. The unpublished items (cleaning steps, wear parts, repair costs, warranty and service-contract scope) are not credited and could not be verified, so the axis reflects a desk review of manufacturer statements, not measured maintenance effort.

The front unit is one half of the daily workload. The backroom bins fill with compacted containers and need emptying. How often depends on volume and bin capacity, covered in the next section.

Conformity works differently from standard machines. Per the datasheet, CE marking is applied at the installation site once the configurable system is assembled and tested (Directives 2006/42/EU, 2014/30/EU, 2011/65/EU, 2012/19/EU). Buyers should therefore ask for the declaration covering their specific configuration. The datasheet cites ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 with Nemko for TOMRA SYSTEMS ASA (manufacturer statement, certificates not checked by us). That refers to company management systems, not a product certificate.

The three-phase 400 V connection plus two separate 230 V feeds for the compressor mean an electrician has to prepare the site. Installation effort and cost are not published.

Up to 1,500 compacted PET bottles, up to 6,000 compacted cans, or 2,000 containers in a 50/50 PET and can mix with the mix crusher: these are the storage figures per MultiPac Air bin in the R1 datasheet. Tomra notes that they vary by country and packaging.

At the stated maximum of 120 containers per minute, a bin of 1,500 PET bottles would fill after 12.5 minutes of uninterrupted feed (1,500 ÷ 120). That is a theoretical upper bound, not a measured operating figure. It shows why bin size and emptying frequency matter at busy sites.

Backroom options are MultiPac Air and MaxiPac. The tomra.com page text mentions up to 7 cabinets, which scales storage but also floor space and weight.

The R1 accepts non-refillable and refillable plastic bottles and cans. Glass is not accepted in this configuration. Bottles must measure 50–130 mm in diameter and 85–380 mm in height. Cans must measure 50–100 mm in diameter and 80–200 mm in height. Larger multi-litre bottles above 380 mm are outside the range.

The German product page lists these countries: United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Finland, Italy, France, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. The list sits in the MultiPac Air block, so it is a system-level indication. Which deposit schemes and security marks are supported in a given market has to be confirmed with Tomra.

Rationale for the Capacity & Product Range axis: the rating rests only on the documented per-bin storage figures, the modular backroom options, the accepted plastic bottle and can size ranges, and the missing glass acceptance. All figures are manufacturer values that vary by country and packaging. No measured throughput or bin-fill data exists.

Price on request: no public net purchase price for the exact model was found, and no seller listing was found. The official Tomra R1 product page offers only a quote request via contact. Searches on 2026-11-06 found no verifiable seller listing. Generic marketplace listings are not this machine and were not used.

Tomra's pricing page says prices are agreed individually per retailer or redemption centre. It names the financing model (purchase, all-inclusive rental, throughput lease), size, technology and customisation as price drivers. No market range or list price is claimed here, and no used or leasing price is used as a substitute.

The price axis is therefore not rated. The overall score is the mean of the four rated axes, and the missing price is not counted as a score of zero.

Running costs can only be partly assessed. The front unit draws 80 W at idle and 576 W when active (manufacturer figures). The air compressor and the backroom are extra. Per the German product page spec table, a MultiPac Air cabinet idles at 25 W and draws up to 400 W when active. Annual energy consumption is not published, so no full cost per container is calculated. Purchase price is expressly excluded from any cost view here.

Value depends on volume. A machine with a stated peak of 120 containers per minute, a 4.42 m² front footprint and a separate backroom only makes sense where bulk returns are frequent. The manufacturer's 85 % volume uplift is a promotional average and is not independently verified.

Before requesting quotes, operators should compare the financing models, the number of backroom cabinets, optional configurations, service contract scope, warranty period and installation work in writing.