The state will not seize any money from unreturned deposits. A new campaign is underway.

• The deposit-refund system is the biggest change in waste management in Poland in years. It has been formally operational since October 1st, but questions remain, including about its impact on municipalities achieving required recycling rates.
• The implementation of the deposit system will have a positive impact on municipalities' ability to achieve the required recycling levels, and thus avoid potential financial penalties for unmet targets, assured Anita Sowińska, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment.
• In her opinion, the system's success will depend not only on infrastructure, but also on the level of public acceptance and the effectiveness of the information campaign. A major campaign is scheduled to launch on Monday, October 27th.

Questions about the functioning and effects of the deposit-refund system are asked by ordinary consumers, entrepreneurs and local government officials, for whom waste management is an important part of their daily activities.

Members of Parliament also have doubts. A group of PiS MPs submitted an interpellation to the Ministry of Climate and Environment. Their questions concerned the organizational, legal, and financial risks associated with the system's launch and its practical operation in municipalities .

They demanded clarification on the method of settling recovery and recycling levels for 2025, pointed out the lack of guidelines and implementing acts for municipalities and an insufficient information campaign for consumers and entrepreneurs.

They highlighted the potential risks of increasing waste fees by up to 20-30 percent and also asked about the availability of return points in small municipalities and rural areas.

The lack of integration of IT systems between operators and stores was also discussed, as well as the rules for controlling operators and the use of unrefunded deposits.

Anita Sowińska, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, responsible for implementing the deposit-refund system, responded to these concerns. She assured that while many issues remain unresolved, the government is ready to engage in dialogue with local governments and businesses.

She announced the harmonization of reporting methods, joint establishment of practices with operators and local governments, and the preparation of detailed methodological guidelines.

Data on recycling rates is to be transferred from deposit-refund systems directly to municipalities so that they can include it in their annual reports

- announced Anita Sowińska.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Environment, this solution will allow to avoid financial penalties for failure to meet recycling targets and at the same time will increase the amount of clean raw materials for reuse.

Due to the high effectiveness of selective packaging waste collection in European countries (efficiency of approximately 90%), the implementation of the deposit system will have a positive impact on the ability of municipalities to achieve the required recycling levels, and thus avoid potential financial penalties for unmet targets.

- she noted.

In her opinion, the system's success will be determined not only by infrastructure, but also by the level of public acceptance and the effectiveness of the information campaign. These activities are already underway, but their culmination will soon be reached.

Three new TV and radio spots will air between October 27 and November 23, 2025. Plans also include an online campaign, activities with vloggers and influencers, a cinema campaign, activities aimed at schools, and direct communication to specifically defined target groups, including Rural Housewives' Associations and Volunteer Fire Department firefighters (the goal is to strengthen communication in smaller towns and villages).

The Ministry of Culture and Environment emphasized that its task is to provide nationwide information, while operators are responsible for local communication and the ongoing operation of collection points.

According to the ministry, as of the date of the response, agreements had been concluded with approximately 45,000 retail outlets participating in the system. Each municipality is to have at least one stationary packaging collection point. The ministry notes that the number of stores joining the system is growing rapidly, and many operators are finalizing new agreements. Negotiations are reportedly underway involving up to 2,000 new points.

Although the ministry admitted it does not have a map of the locations of stores larger than 200 square meters, it anticipates that the network of collection points will continue to expand. It also encouraged local governments to conduct local information campaigns that could accelerate the network's development.

Regarding supervision and control, the Ministry indicated that these responsibilities rest with the Provincial Inspectorates for Environmental Protection. In the case of illegal waste collection, the provisions of the Waste Act, which provide for penalties of arrest or fines, will apply.

At the same time, the ministry assured that funds from unrefunded deposits will not be seized by the state budget but will remain with the system operators – operating on a non-profit basis. These funds will be allocated to infrastructure development, waste transport and sorting, and educational activities.

The Ministry of Culture and Environmental Protection does not plan to directly monitor the prices of deposit-refundable products, but it does plan to evaluate the system after two years of operation . The issue of a possible increase in waste collection fees – estimated by experts at as much as 20-30% – remains "the subject of analysis and legislative work."

The Ministry also highlighted ongoing work on a draft amendment to the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities and the Act on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Both drafts are intended to tighten the system, improve cost accounting, and strengthen the "polluter pays" principle.

The aim is also to reduce financial pressure on municipalities and residents through a more equitable distribution of costs.

The current legal system does not incentivize producers of packaged products to adopt eco-design practices, while municipalities face significant difficulties in meeting recycling targets. As a result, residents of our country are currently overburdened with packaging fees, as they incur packaging costs when purchasing products and then pay municipal waste management fees to municipalities. Additionally, in some cases, they incur additional costs related to penalties imposed on municipalities for failing to meet recycling targets.

- explained Sowińska.

In response to a question about how the current recycling rate for PET bottles and aluminum cans was estimated, the minister admitted that the ministry does not maintain detailed data on packaging types. The 45% figure was based on estimates from industry organizations and data from the Waste Database (BDO) for plastics and metals.