TOMRA B3 Spec Check: Footprint, Sensors and Connectivity for Small Stores
Check the published 0.45 sqm footprint, the sensor names, and the power and network requirement against the floor, outlet, and connection in a small store.
Areas to measure around the machine
Read 0.45 sqm as the machine footprint
TOMRA's UK product page lists the B3 footprint as 0.45 sqm and describes the machine as its most compact reverse vending machine. Packaging Europe reported the same 0.45 sqm of floor space on 21 September 2026. Keep that figure as 0.45 sqm.
The published footprint is the machine's floor area. Measure the customer standing space, any queue, and the service side on the floor where you would place the machine.
Sensors and options named on the product page
TOMRA states that the B3 accepts plastic bottles and cans, and that wheels are optional. Packaging Europe reported PET plastic and metal cans, and that the machine is available on wheels. Ask which of those wordings matches the unit on the quote, and whether that unit includes the wheels.
TOMRA's Essential Technology section says image-based recognition is used together with weight, metal, and motion sensing, that the machine reads barcodes, and that 360° recognition is an upgrade. Those are the sensor names on the product page. Packaging Europe reported TOMRA's identification claim in the same article. Check that claim against the quoted unit, including whether the 360° upgrade is included.
TOMRA also names an 8.4 inch touch display, a coloured light at the infeed, and a shutter door. Record whether the quote includes each one.
Power and network before the machine can start
TOMRA states that a power outlet and an internet connection are needed to get started. Record the outlet location, who owns the circuit, the connection type, and who owns that connection. If the outlet or the connection stops short of the planned position, that starting requirement is still open.
What Packaging Europe reported about the UK launch
Packaging Europe reported on 21 September 2026 that TOMRA had launched the B3 in the UK, with a debut that week at industry events including RWM at the NEC in Birmingham. The same article reported a deposit return scheme from October 2027, a refundable 20p deposit on eligible plastic drinks bottles and cans, and that Exchange for Change would pay retailers a handling fee, with a higher fee reported for automated collection. Those points stay attributed to that article.
How a small store reads the launch
Packaging Europe reported on 21 September 2026 that TOMRA had launched the B3 in the UK for retailers with limited space. Operators and equipment buyers at UK convenience stores and other small shops are the readers for this check. The report is an announcement of that launch, and the store's own choice stays open.
Read the footprint, the reported fee, and the open commercial terms in one pass. The footprint is 0.45 sqm on the TOMRA product page, and Packaging Europe reported the same 0.45 sqm. That figure is the machine floor area. Customer standing space, any queue, and the service side sit outside it. A power outlet and an internet connection remain starting requirements, so the floor check stays open after the footprint is copied down.
Packaging Europe reported that Exchange for Change would pay retailers a handling fee, and that automated collection would receive a higher fee. The article reports the higher fee. It states no rate and no difference from a manual return. Whether the fee offsets the machine stays to be verified.
Exemption conditions and any subsidy are absent from the TOMRA product page and from that article. Who must host a return point, who can be exempt, which parts of the UK the scheme covers, and any grant amount all stay to be verified with the scheme operator. Leave the fee rate and any grant amount blank until the operator confirms them. Whether a subsidy offsets the machine stays to be verified.
The B3 price is unpublished on both sources. Scheme-operator approval or certification of the B3 is unpublished on both sources. Record the quote price and any operator approval as to be verified. Until both are verified, keep the B3 as a published product option.
Packaging Europe reported a scheme from October 2027. The article states no date by which a store must finish the purchase, the installation, or the connection. That date stays to be verified.
Three paths stay side by side for the same shop: place the machine if 0.45 sqm plus customer space, power, and network fit this floor; use a manual return; or confirm an exemption once the operator's terms are verified. The launch report settles none of the three.
Installation checks for the store
Record access, utilities, and who does the work on the site survey for the same install.
Self-service machine site survey checklist — Use it to record access, utilities, and who does the work on the same install.
Equipment engineering resources — The other checklists for a machine discussion sit on that page.