The special parliamentary subcommittee has accepted, with amendments, the draft amendment to the act on packaging and packaging waste management. The changes introduced by the subcommittee aim to seal and secure the future deposit system for beverage containers.
A meeting of the special subcommittee to consider the government’s draft amendment to the Act on Packaging and Packaging Waste Management and some other laws took place in the Sejm. The meeting was attended by Mrs. Anita Sowińska – Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Climate and Environment and representatives of organizations interested in implementing a deposit system for beverage containers in Poland. The Business Centre Club was represented by Krzysztof Hornicki, a BCC expert in environmental protection, Chair of the BCC’s Waste Management Commission.
The subcommittee adopted the draft law, introducing necessary amendments to its text to seal and secure the future deposit system for beverage containers.
“I positively assess the amendments to the draft law, introduced by the parliamentary subcommittee” – said BCC expert, Krzysztof Hornicki, after the meeting ended.
The exclusion of milk and dairy product containers from the deposit system was confirmed, as well as ensuring the proper circulation of the deposit in the system, i.e. its collection at each stage of beverage distribution in containers. It is also very beneficial to plan a three-month transition period, during which entrepreneurs will be able to legally introduce previously produced beverages in containers, which are their stock and warehouse stocks – added Hornicki.
The deposit system will come into effect in Poland from October 1, 2025, and will cover the following types of packaging:
– single-use plastic bottles for beverages up to 3 liters
– single-use metal cans for drinks up to 1 liter
– multiple-use glass bottles for beverages up to 1.5 liters
Retail and wholesale units with a sales area of more than 200 square meters will be required to collect deposits from consumers and to accept beverage containers and refund the collected deposit.
Shops and wholesalers with a sales area not larger than 200 square meters will also have to collect deposits from consumers, but collecting empty containers and returning deposits will be voluntary for them.
The subcommittee’s report is already available and can be found at:
https://orka.sejm.gov.pl/opinie10.nsf/nazwa/spr_760/$file/spr_760.pdf.
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/system-kaucyjny-w-polsce-od-2025-roku-sejmowa-podkomisja-przyjela-projekt-ustawy-z-poprawkami-46347
