Deposit system. Milk and dairy products. Packaging. New deadline

On Tuesday, a draft amendment to the Packaging Waste Management Act was published on the website of the Government Legislation Center (RCL). It refers to the working of the deposit system. The Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, Anita Soyska, announced the preparation of the project in advance.

The new regulations include, among other things, postponing the obligation to collect containers of milk and dairy products until 2026. This was announced earlier in an interview with the business editorial team of tvn24.pl, Deputy Minister Anita Soyska.

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Representatives of the beverage industry and trade had previously asked the government to exclude milk containers and milk drinks from the deposit system. In their opinion, collecting such containers could lead to “treating yourself with a biological bomb.”

Poland's deposit system is scheduled to start operating in 2025. It will include plastic, metal and glass containers. For single-use plastic beverage bottles with a capacity of up to three liters and metal cans with a capacity of up to one litre, the deposit will be 50 cents. Its goal is to reduce the amount of mixed municipal waste collected by municipalities and increase the level of recycling.

Large stores with an area of ​​more than 200 square meters will have to collect empty packaging and return the deposit, while smaller stores will be able to join the scheme voluntarily, although they will also collect the deposit. Unclaimed deposits will be used to fund the deposit system.

The deposit aims to encourage the return of packaging and increase the amount of reused and processed raw materials used to produce the packaging.