Deposit system from 2025. The Sejm sends the bill to the president

The new regulations will implement the EU Directive on reducing the environmental impact of certain plastic products.

The amendment provides that a deposit will be added to disposable plastic bottles with a capacity of up to 3 liters, reusable glass bottles with a capacity of up to 1.5 liters and metal cans with a capacity of up to 1 liter, the amount of which will be specified in the regulation. According to the draft regulation published in April, it is to amount to PLN 0.50. The deposit will be returned when the packaging is returned in the store without the need to show the receipt.

Large stores with an area of more than 200 square meters will have to collect empty packaging, while those with a smaller area will be able to join the system voluntarily. The uncollected deposit will be used to finance the deposit-refund system.

The deposit-refund system will be created by entrepreneurs who market beverages in packaging. They will appoint an operator (representing entity) responsible for the implementation and operation of the system. As indicated in the justification, the regulations do not specify the number of such entities, thus it is possible to create two or more deposit-refund systems.

If entrepreneurs introducing beverages in packaging do not create a system or fail to achieve the required levels of selective collection of packaging and waste, they will have to pay a product fee.

The act is to enter into force 30 days after its publication.

Source: PAP