There are costs that will be incurred by businesses – the subjects of the new provisions of the Waste Act – to set up a packaging deposit system (SDA). These include relabeling of beverages, purchase or lease of vending machines, manual collection in stores, logistics, administrative costs, etc.
At the same time, budget money, according to preliminary estimates of the authors of the innovation, the implementation of the new provisions will not require. This is noted in the Regulation on the implementation of the deposit system for packaging, published on July 4. It establishes a mechanism for the creation and operation at the national level of the SDA system applicable to reusable and disposable packaging.
Recall that the essence of this system is that when buying drinks, for example, in plastic, glass or aluminum containers, the buyer will pay an additional deposit. After drinking the beverage, the packaging can be returned to the store and the money paid earlier can be refunded.
Within three months of the decision to establish the SDA system coming into effect, associations of producers and traders who market and sell packaged products are required to submit to the Ministry of Environment an organizational plan for the SDA, a deposit financing scheme and a public awareness program on the issue. The documents must be prepared and submitted by November 4, 2025.
The regulation stipulates that manufacturers placing packaged products on the market will pay a fee to the SDA administrator for each unit of packaging placed on the national market. It will cover the cost of implementing and operating the deposit system. The fee will vary depending on the type of packaging, as well as the material, weight and volume.
The functions of the SDA administrator will be performed by a legal entity appointed by the Ministry of Environment in accordance with the procedure established by law.
