“The climate and environment hotel is just starting with a full-size media run that will be addressed to all consumers. But not adequate time was besides given to companies participating in the strategy to prepare well for fresh challenges. The Ministry of Climate and Environment only issued updated permits for 7 deposit strategy operators in June this year, says Piotr Mazurek, expert of the Leviathan Confederation on the circular economy.
In another countries, the minimum time needed to prepare participants for the implementation of the bailout strategy was on average between 2 and 3 years, for only 1 operator. There will be a multi-operator strategy in Poland, and there is much little time, due to the fact that only a fewer months. For this reason, all the details of cooperation between operators and not all the producers of beverages in packages have already been completed. It seems that the first drinks marked with a bail symbol may not appear immediately on the store shelves, but this will be done gradually.
Consumers may be amazed at first, as on 1 shelf old packaging (without bail) will be sold alongside these fresh ones covered by bail. The only difference will be the bail mark and another barcode on the basis of which the IT strategy will recognise whether the packaging is covered by the bail strategy or not.
– Therefore, on behalf of entrepreneurs representing the full value chain, i.e. introducing drinks in packages, commercial units (not only small, average and large stores and commercial chains, but besides restaurants, petrol stations, drugstores or pharmacies) and deposit operators, let us call for the acceleration of a reliable nationwide educational campaign, which will explain in a simple and clear way to everyone, in peculiar consumers, the principles of the bailout strategy in Poland," added Piotr Mazurek.
Under the fresh regulations, bail will include: plastic bottles (PET) up to 3 l, metallic cans up to 1 l and glass bottles reusable up to 1.5 l. A deposit of PLN 0.50 or PLN 1 will be paid at the cashier's office by buying packages covered by the system, and we can receive a refund of the deposit by returning the empty package in peculiar refund points. Packages must be empty and not crushed with a visible barcode.
The Leviathan Confederation has been active in the legislative process from the very beginning and in submitting comments to the fresh bailout system. During her parliamentary work, she proposed many requests to improve the full system, looking from the position of all participants in the value chain.
Many were included. Among them were:
- postpone the start of the strategy by 9 months (from 1 January to 1 October 2025)
- the introduction of the alleged closed bailout circulation system, i.e. its collection throughout the distribution chain,
- exclusion from the milk and milk products packaging system,
- clarification of the time limits for the settlement of the deposit between the instigators and the operators,
- ensuring that the operator who collects the waste from the unit must besides return its bail (the operator receives, the operator pays),
- the introduction of a transitional period of 3 months for products without a bail mark, so that the manufactured packages without a bail mark will not be wasted and can be marketed.
Confederation of Leviathan
