2026-04-16 13:16
publication
2026-04-16 13:16
A comprehensive reform of the Act on maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities will not be carried out in the current parliamentary term, announced Deputy Minister of Climate Anita Sowińska. She added that the ministry focuses, among others, on: on sealing the waste system.
In an interview with the PAP Local Government Service, the deputy minister of climate referred to the proposed amendment to the Act on maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities, which provides for a number of changes to tighten and improve the municipal waste management system, which local governments have long requested. One of them is to enable municipalities to verify waste declarations based on water consumption data.
– Currently, there is a problem with this, there are cases in courts where it is difficult to prove that the declaration was not submitted or was submitted incorrectly. And here we have proposed a solution enabling such verification based on water consumption. If water is used in an apartment, it means that someone lives there. We can also estimate how many people live in this premises, explained Sowińska.
She added that the solution will help local governments in matters of evidence and can be used in administrative procedures, “because, according to municipal estimates, up to 20 percent of residents do not pay for waste.”
Sowińska announced that a comprehensive change of the so-called the purity act will not be implemented in the current term.
– In the future, we may decide to thoroughly overhaul the entire act on maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities, but that is not the moment yet, certainly not in this term – noted the deputy head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. As she explained, this is due to the need to synchronize national regulations with the upcoming European Union regulations, including: extended producer responsibility (ROP) for textiles.
The deputy head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection also referred to the functioning of the deposit system, pointing out that after the first months after implementation, “large logistic reefs were avoided in Poland.” She emphasized that the system is constantly being developed and improved.
In her opinion, the biggest drawback currently is the availability of collection points in small towns.
– Personally, I think that the lack of proper labeling of stores is also a problem. Some of them are in the deposit system, but customers do not know about it because it is not properly marked. We have already brought this to the attention of the operators, explained Sowińska.
According to the deputy minister, there is great potential for the development of the deposit system in vending machines. – Even though there are currently 9.5 thousand of them, which compared to 52 thousand of all collection points is only a small part, but we collect as much as 78% in vending machines. packaging. Vending machines play an important role and I see the potential to increase their number, said Sowińska.
She added that “the real test for the deposit system will be August, when an increase in beverage consumption is expected.”
The deputy minister also referred to the prolonged work on the act implementing extended producer responsibility (ROP). She explained that during the consultations, 1.7 thousand were reported. comments on the project, of which 1.3 thousand unique ones that needed consideration.
– We are doing everything we can to speed up this work so that it will be adopted before the holidays. We are aware that this is a difficult bill. But this law is not political and all parties express interest in when it will come into force. I am also counting on the president's support, because this act has been long awaited by local governments and residents, argued Sowińska. (PAP)
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