Poland’sโ New Deposit System Sparks Concerns Over Glass Bottle Disparity
Warsaw, Poland – A new deposit system launching in Poland on October 1st aims to boost recycling rates for plastic bottles and metal โcans, butโ a key exclusion – โคdisposable glass bottles – is raising concerns about potential confusion and uneven environmental impact. While plastic bottles up to 3 liters and metalโข cans up to 1 liter โขwill be subject to a deposit โขrefund upon โคreturn, disposable glassโ bottles will not be included, a decision stemming โfrom logistical challenges citedโ by smaller retailers.
The system, formalized by the โขCaurrament System Act signed in 2023, mandates that large stores (over 200 sq m) accept returns and issue refunds. Smaller stores can voluntarily participate. Reusable glass bottles โฃup to 1.5 liters willโ be added โคto the deposit scheme starting January 1,2026. The distinction between single-use and reusable glass is persistent solely by the beverage manufacturer, potentially creating ambiguity โฃfor consumers.
This omission follows repeated appeals from retailers, particularly smaller businesses, who argued they lacked the infrastructure to manage the collection of disposable glass within a deposit system. “Storesโฃ explained then that โthey would not beโข able to logistically dealโ with the collection of such packagingโฃ in the deposit system,” the report states.Amendments to the Act in 2024 maintained this exclusion despite renewed discussion.
Despite the exclusion, the Ministry of Climate and surroundings (MKiล) emphasizes the importance of โreusable glass packaging for a circular economy. Anita Sowiลska of MKiล โstated the ministry’s long-term goal is to standardize bottles, asserting, “without this โขit is not possible to achieve very high levels of recycling.” The ministry cites examples like Germany, where glass bottles are reused an averageโฃ of 45 times, and Finland, with an average of 33 refills, highlighting the potential environmental benefits of a robust reusable system. MKiล โฃcalculates one reusable glass bottle can replace approximately 20 single-use bottles.