Bottle vending machines of discord. Stores warn that this may not work out

At the beginning of next year, a deposit system is to be launched, which involves charging a deposit when buying a drink and returning it when returning the empty packaging to a collection point, i.e. a store. It is estimated that 144 million people in Europe use the deposit system. Residents of 13 countries have such opportunities. It is already operating successfully, among others, in our neighbors (Slovakia, Lithuania and Germany). Recently, countries such as Hungary, Romania and Ireland have introduced their own systems. Others, such as the Netherlands and Germany, are expanding the ones that are currently operating.

What is the deposit system?

The Polish deposit system will differ from foreign models. Unlike many countries where there is a single deposit system operator, Poland has opted for a model with multiple operators. These companies, created by beverage producers and importers, will be responsible for collecting and transporting packaging and waste. Producers must achieve specific collection levels to avoid additional fees, known as product fees.

The aim of the system is to reduce the amount of mixed municipal waste collected by municipalities and increase the level of recycling. Large stores, with an area of ​​over 200 square meters, will have to collect empty packaging and return a deposit. Smaller stores, on the other hand, will charge a deposit, but joining the packaging collection system will be voluntary for them.

The system is to cover three types of packaging: plastic bottles up to 3 liters, reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 liters, and metal cans up to 1 liter. It was previously assumed that the obligation to collect milk and dairy product packaging under the deposit system would be introduced from the beginning of 2026.

Long list of reservations

Renata Juszkiewicz, president of the Polish Organization of Trade and Distribution, shared in an interview with Wiadomości Handlowe that the entire obligation to organize the system has been transferred to stores. They must also finance it and only then can they hope that companies introducing the bottles to sale will return the costs.

– Despite the announcements that the costs of the deposit system are to be borne by those introducing it, in practice the trade will have to finance the infrastructure for collecting deposit packaging on their own and count on the fact that these costs may be reimbursed in the future. Due to the short implementation time, most system operators are either still waiting for a permit or are in the development phase of their capabilities. Unfortunately, manual collection should be expected in most retail outlets at the beginning of 2025. Convenient and safe, from the point of view of customers, bottle vending machines will be available only in some stores that decide to risk purchasing them – said Juszkiewicz.

The cost of such a bottle vending machine, according to her, is from 100 to 160 thousand zlotys.

Traders want the deposit system to be implemented by a year

The organization she represents, which brings together trade representatives, would like to postpone the start of the system for plastic cans and bottles until 2026. The reasons? Lack of collection infrastructure, lack of IT solutions for exchanging data on packaging on the market, lack of solutions for deposit circulation, lack of common collection standards – Juszkiewicz listed.

It fears that many smaller shops – where vending machines will not be installed, and bottles can be returned to the seller who will pay a refundable deposit – will be inundated with plastic bottles and it will be difficult to conduct business there. For this reason, POHiD postulates that only shops above 500 sq m should be required to participate in the system.

– In our opinion, the necessity of collecting deposit packaging by small retail outlets – due to their specificity and the small number of people working there – will disrupt the daily flow of customer service and negatively affect sales. In addition, such outlets do not have appropriate logistics solutions or even space for storing waste. At the same time, we believe that small stores should have the right to join the system on a voluntary basis, as long as they have the possibility to introduce this service for their customers – Juszkiewicz noted.

Politicians listen to the allegations

Doubts about the shape of the regulations adopted by the previous government are not only expressed by the organization associating retail chains, but also by some politicians. Gabriela Lenartowicz (KO), chairwoman of the Sejm’s Standing Subcommittee on Monitoring Waste Management, presented the postulates of the Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry Committee. The author of the document noted that its content was based on repeated postulates from representatives of the beverage industry, trade and local government.

The very first point of the desideratum included a demand to postpone the launch of the deposit-refund system in Poland by one year, i.e. to January 2026. The justification given was the lack of infrastructure for collection and storage in stores as well as bottle and can verification centers.

Their construction and creation require permits and time, we read in the desideratum, and manual collection would be a burden on the environment.

– Postponing the entry into force of new regulations, e.g. by a year, and carefully preparing their extensive amendment, eliminating defects, will allow us to avoid the mistakes made in other countries, including Romania, Scotland or Hungary, where it was not possible to create an effective system within the assumed deadline – the author of the desideratum raised.

We write more about the politicians’ reservations in the text below.