Glass bottles excluded from the deposit system? An important voice from the ministry

According to information from operators, currently approx. 45 thousand. points of sale have signed contracts for the deposit system, and there are nearly 100,000 on the market. packaging with a deposit mark – said Deputy Minister of Climate Anita Sowińska. She added that the full efficiency of the system could only be assessed in a year, and the government was not working on excluding reusable glass bottles from the system.

“We are currently in a transitional period (…). As of today, operators are reporting to us that 12 producers have already introduced their first packaging with a deposit sign, and we also know from information from operators that there are nearly 100,000 such packages on the market (…). Operators also inform us that approximately 45,000 sales points have already signed contracts for the deposit system – we are talking not only about stores, but also about other collection points,” Sowińska said at the conference.

“We estimate that we will be able to assess the full efficiency of this system only in a year, i.e. after 2026.” – she added.

She also addressed the demands to exclude reusable glass bottles from the system and emphasized the environmental benefits of this collection and the benefits for consumers, i.e. uniform collection rules.

“The government is not implementing such legislative changes. Currently, operators are intensively preparing to implement a deposit system also for this fraction, and we want them to be able to operate in conditions of stable law,” emphasized the deputy head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

From October 1, large stores with an area of ​​over 200 square meters are obliged to collect empty packaging with a deposit sign and return the deposit to customers. Smaller stores will collect a deposit, but joining the packaging collection system is voluntary. The system includes three types of packaging: plastic bottles up to 3 liters, metal cans up to 1 liter, and – from January 1, 2026 – reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 liters.

Therefore, single-use glass bottles are not covered by the deposit system and no deposit is charged for them. Whether a given bottle is single-use or reusable is determined by the beverage manufacturer itself. (PAP Business)

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