On Thursday, the Seimas adopted an amendment to the document, which postpones the start of the savings system in Poland by 9 months – to October 1, 2025. The changes – in addition to changing the system's launch date – also introduce a number of changes to improve its functionality.
240 deputies voted in favor of the adoption of the act, 19 were against and 184 abstained. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The deposit system will be launched later
Amendments to the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste Management and some other acts have primarily postponed the start of the deposit system in Poland until October 1, 2025. According to the current regulations, it should have started at the beginning of the new year. As Paulina Hennig-Kloska, the climate and environment minister, has previously noted, the adoption of the changes by the end of this year is essential to avoid the start of the deposit system in January, which she says businesses are not ready for. .
In addition to postponing the effective date of the savings system, a number of other changes are foreseen in the reform project. It implies, among other things, that every commune in Poland should have at least one stationary waste collection point and packaging of waste according to the deposit system. Another solution included in the project is the organization of the so-called closed system of circulation of deposits, that is, its collection in the entire distribution chain. This is intended to strengthen the system, eliminate the possibility of misappropriation of deposits and ensure monitoring of the flow of deposits.
The changes also exclude the collection of packages of milk and milk products from the deposit return system, and introduce the adaptation of labeling of packages with the symbol of the deposit return system. The amendment also adds a provision that an operator who packages from stores must return to those stores the deposit actually paid.
A three-month transition period has also been introduced for stocks of products that are not marked with a deposit symbol. Therefore, the packaging of beverages without signs covered by the deposit-return system and showing the amount of the deposit placed on the market within three months from the date of entry into the return system, but no later than December 31, 2025 , can be used to return or while the resources.
Purpose of the Law
The goal of the deposit system is to reduce the amount of mixed municipal waste collected by municipalities and to increase recycling rates. Large stores with an area of more than 200 square meters must collect empty packages and return the deposit. On the other hand, smaller stores collect savings, but joining the packaging collection system will be optional.
Once the deposit system is established, a deposit will be charged for each packaged beverage placed on the market. This deposit is also refunded to the end user through the system, without providing a receipt for the purchase of the beverage.
Unclaimed deposits are used to fund the savings system. This deposit is intended to encourage the return of packaging and increase the amount of recycled and recycled raw materials for the production of packaging. The system will eventually cover three types of packaging: plastic bottles up to 3 litres, reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres, and metal cans up to 1 litre.
The work on the pledge law lasted for several years. The regulation on this was adopted by the parliament and signed by the president in 2023. However, some of the sectors and stakeholders of the deposit system noted that the regulation is full of holes and should be supplemented with basic elements. After the parliamentary elections, the new leadership of the Ministry of Climate and Environment started reforms.
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