Parliamentary draft Act amending the Act on packaging and packaging waste management and certain other Acts

TRIS notification 2026/0550/PL — draft technical regulation notified under Directive (EU) 2015/1535 (not yet adopted)

Parliamentary draft Act amending the Act on packaging and packaging waste management and certain other Acts

End of standstill: 2027-01-12

1. MSG 001 IND 2026 0550 PL EN 09-10-2026 PL NOTIF
2. Poland
4. 2026/0550/PL - S10E - Packaging
5. Parliamentary draft Act amending the Act on packaging and packaging waste management and certain other Acts
6. Beverage packaging covered by the deposit-return system: single-use bottles of up to 3 l, metal cans of up to 1 l and glass bottles of up to 1.5 l, as well as packaging waste arising from such packaging.
S10E – Packaging
S20E – Waste
S80E – Recycling
7.
8. The draft abolishes the deposit-return system for beverage packaging that has been in operation since 1 October 2025 (plastic bottles, metal cans, reusable glass bottles). In the Act on packaging and packaging waste management, the provisions on charging and refunding deposits and on system operators (Chapter 6b), the collection targets in the deposit-return system (Annex 4), the obligation for shops with an area of more than 200 m² to take back packaging and the related financial penalties are repealed. The following remain: the classification of beverage packaging, the record-keeping obligations of entities placing products on the market and the obligation for shops with a sales area of more than 2,000 m² to collect packaging waste separately. Such packaging is to be collected within the municipal waste management system and under extended producer responsibility. The following Acts are also amended: the Act on maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities, the Act on waste and the Act on value added tax (repeal of the special rules on the taxation of deposits, from 1 January of the year following the year in which the Act enters into force). During a 6-month transitional period, operators settle deposits and consumers may return packaging and recover their deposit; after that, permits and contracts expire. This Act shall enter into force 6 months after its publication.
Keywords: deposit-return system, deposit, beverage packaging, separate waste collection.
9. In the drafters’ view, the deposit-return system has proved inefficient and excessively burdensome. Consumers bear the cost of the deposit (PLN 0.50 or PLN 1 per item of packaging), which is difficult to recover because of the lack of return points outside large cities, breakdowns of reverse vending machines and the rejection of packaging. The system has low public acceptance and excludes, in particular, older people, persons with disabilities and residents of rural areas. Shops bear the costs of adapting to and handling collection, while municipalities and sorting plants lose revenue from the most valuable fractions (PET, aluminium), which increases waste management charges. The operation of seven operators makes the system inconsistent (different labelling, equipment and apps). In the drafters’ view, the separate collection targets under EU law can be achieved within the municipal waste management system and under extended producer responsibility.
9a. Repealing the deposit-return system directly eliminates the costs and burdens identified in the explanatory memorandum.
9b. The shortcomings of the deposit-return system cannot be remedied other than by repealing it (explanatory memorandum, Part VIII).
9c. No new obligations; a 6-month vacatio legis and a 6-month transitional period for settlement.
10. References to basic texts: The basic texts were submitted under previous notifications:
2023/0351/PL
2024/0527/PL
11. No
12.
13. No
14. No
15. Yes
16.
TBT aspects: No
SPS aspects: No