It is important to set standards for stores and consumers

Deposit system. It is important to set standards

The Deposit System Act is scheduled to enter into force in Poland on January 1, 2025. Deposit system It aims to increase the selective collection of plastic, glass and metal packaging waste, in line with the requirements of the EU Plastics Directive.

In accordance with regulations, empty packages can be returned to the store for a refund of the prepaid deposit. Large stores with an area of ​​more than 200 square meters will have to collect empty containers for this purpose. Other retail establishments with a smaller footprint will be able to join the scheme and collect covered packs with a deposit on a voluntary basis.

It is important to properly organize the system so that it works efficiently, is secure and transparent, and that all these things those who created it knew how to work in it, says Anna Sabota, Vice President of Public Affairs for Northeast Europe at TOMRA Group, in an interview with portalspozywczy.pl.

The deposit system poses a challenge for stores

Ana Sabota emphasizes that stores are a very important element of the deposit system. What matters to consumers is convenience and that the system works the same way in every retail outlet.

Therefore, stores must prepare appropriately and decide whether the bottle collection will be manual or whether they will need to purchase automatic collection machines, he says.

– Collection in the deposit system will be different in a 50 square meter warehouse that collects 100 packages per day, and different in a 500 square meter facility that collects 5,000 packages per day. Therefore, every store preparing for the system must take into account its privacy, he explains.

She recalled that many stores in Poland, such as Sabka and Carrefour, have begun pilot programs to collect bottles. Thanks to these tests, stores can check how the system works in practice and how to improve it.

The deposit system will develop

The deposit system will be effective in Poland in less than 14 months. On the one hand we have little time, and on the other hand companies are taking many actions, explains Ana Sabota.

– It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. There are groups that participated in the discussion about the deposit system and have been preparing for its implementation for at least several or ten months. There are stores that have implemented pilot programs and are continuing to implement them, examining what operations should look like. These are the milestones we need, he points out.

– On January 1, 2025, we will not have a perfect deposit system immediately, but it will mature and develop. This was also the case in other countries. Ana Sabota explains that deposit systems only become effective after two or three years.

Prepared by based on part of the conversation. Please watch the full interview.

Ana Sabotta, Vice President Public Affairs for Northeast Europe at TOMRA Group, was one of the speakers at Food market and trade forum.