Implementation this year the legally required level of 77%. collections, among others plastic beverage bottles will be an “ambitious goal” – said Magdalena Markiewicz, president of the deposit system operator PolKa–Polska Kaucja. She added that abroad it was most often achieved in the second year of the deposit's operation.
In October 2025, the deposit system was launched in Poland. In compliance with the regulations, a deposit of PLN 50 is added for drinks in plastic bottles (up to 3 l) and metal cans (up to 1 l), and PLN 1 for reusable glass bottles (up to 1.5 l). The deposit can be recovered after returning the packaging. By law, those who place packaged drinks on the market must achieve appropriate collection levels. By 2028, it is to be 77 percent, and then – 90 percent.
– Obtaining the prescribed 77 percent. packaging collections this year are an ambitious goal. (…) More and more beverage packaging is collected, but we are still far from 77%. Typically, this level was achieved in the second year of operation of deposit systems launched in other countries. And this in a situation when all producers had one deadline for introducing deposit packaging – said Markiewicz in an interview with PAP.
In Poland, the deposit system is voluntary and beverage producers are not obliged to join it. However, if they do not do this, they must pay the so-called product fee, i.e. de facto a penalty. As she said at the end of last year Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Anita Sowińska, the increase in the amount of this fee from the beginning of 2026 is intended to encourage producers to join the deposit system.
Not all producers in Poland have entered the system
Markiewicz pointed out that not all producers operating in Poland decided to join the system. She emphasized that this “voluntary nature” extends the moment when the deposit system actually becomes effective, i.e. begins to achieve the assumed collection levels.
When asked whether the 2029 target (90%) is achievable thanks to the deposit system, the head of Poland said yes. – I am convinced that we are such an aware, meticulous and enterprising society that we will quickly learn to return packaging, it will be as natural as segregation – she said. She added that we are still at the stage of developing and testing the deposit system, and more and more drinks in deposit packaging appear on store shelves.
Markiewicz, explaining the role of the deposit system operator, explained that it is the organization of the system, among others. from the point of view of logistics and finance. The operator physically collects the deposit packaging from the collection points with which it cooperates, and then takes it to the sorting plant that separates PET bottles from aluminum cans. There, bottles are also separated according to their color. Transparent material has a higher value, she said.
The operator transports the separated and then compressed bottles to recyclers who process plastic into the so-called PET flakes, i.e. shredded plastic. Then a “bottle starter” is made from such material. The preforms are inflated on the bottling line and a bottle is created, which can then be filled with a drink.
Markiewicz explained that the deposit operator acts as an intermediary in transferring funds from beverage producers to finance the entire system. Producers pay a deposit to the operators they cooperate with for bottles that will be placed on the market. They recover it after selling the goods to stores or distributors. In turn, operators settle accounts with stores by giving them the equivalent of the deposit paid to customers. Any deposit not collected by the consumer goes towards maintaining the system.
Beverage companies also pay a producer levy, which finances the operator's ongoing operations. In accordance with the regulations, such organizations operate on a non-for-profit basis.
Why should consumers not crush bottles and cans?
The PAP interlocutor added that the operators' tasks also include “process reporting” to demonstrate that the assumed recycling levels were achieved thanks to the collected and processed deposit packaging.
When asked why consumers should not crush deposit bottles and cans before returning them, Markiewicz explained that the idea is to enable the barcode to be read by the scanner, which can be prevented by crushed packaging. She added that bottle dispensers recognize the shape of the packaging to detect possible fraud attempts.
The president added that the seven operators currently operating in Poland co-create one deposit system, which is why they must cooperate with each other, among others: regarding settlement of the deposit. Stores sell drinks and collect packaging from various producers, who in turn cooperate with various operators. Therefore, as she emphasized, an umbrella organization should be established to manage the operation of the deposit deposit system.
– The umbrella organization would provide uniform standards for the deposit system regarding security, transparency, counting and machinery standards. Today, we develop these standards as competitive entities, which is why these conversations are intense. Such an umbrella institution will objectively and independently ensure the transparency and uniformity of systems, which will definitely help – said Markiewicz.
The proposal to establish an umbrella organization was raised by the industry at the stage of work on the amendment to the Act on the deposit system in 2024.
According to the regulations, the deposit system – in addition to plastic bottles and metal cans – also covers reusable glass bottles. However, in accordance with the act signed by the president in February this year. amendment, producers of beverages in returnable glass bottles may run their own collection systems, independent of the national collection system, until the end of 2028. This mainly applies to beer producers. However, the Act adopted a condition that under deposit systems separate from the general one, when returning a bottle, one does not need to have a receipt, which was the previous practice.
If in 2026 companies marketing beverages do not demonstrate achievement of 77%. collection level of bottles and cans under the deposit system, they will pay a PLN 1 product fee for each missing kilogram of packaging. For producers who do not sign a contract with the operator, the rate will be triple and amount to PLN 3 per kilogram. The Ministry of Climate argues that more and more producers will decide to join the collection system because it will be more profitable for them than paying punitive fees.
The Ministry of Climate informed that the previous method of collecting packaging, i.e. by throwing it into a yellow container or bag, managed to collect a maximum of approximately 45 percent in Poland. PET bottles introduced to the market. The deposit system is intended to increase efficiency to a level exceeding 90%.
Bartłomiej P. Pawlak (PAP)
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