Packaging and Packaging Waste

Draft Act amending the Act on Packaging Management and Packaging Waste and certain other Acts

In order to ensure the planned implementation of deposit and return systems and the coordination andsupervision of their operation, it is necessary to clarify some provisions on the preparation and operation of thedeposit and return system. The most important of these are provisions on

* strengthening the role of the Minister as the body supervising the activation of the deposit and return system,including the specification of the conditions for granting a licence, as well as information and controlobligations;
* modification of the regulations in order to create the so-called closed deposit return system;
* exemption from the obligation to separately collect packaging for beverages containing milk, yoghurt or otherdrinking milk products under the deposit and return system;
* introduction of a requirement for at least one fixed collection point per municipality;
* introduction of a provision allowing the collection of packaging waste covered by the Act collected from non-professional collectors;
* indication that, from 2026, the product levy will be three times the product levy rate for importers who havenot subscribed to any of the deposit and return systems;
* solutions for VAT have been proposed - it has been indicated that representative bodies will be obliged tocollect and pay VAT only on deposits for packaging not returned under this system.