\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/support.png\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tKeep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Poland\u2019s new deposit-refund system has already doubled the proportion of plastic bottles that are being recycled since it was launched in October<\/a>, says climate minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska.<\/p>\n However, she also acknowledged public criticism of how it operates and said that the ministry would continue to implement improvements. One recent opinion poll found that half of Poles dislike the system while only a quarter approve of it.<\/p>\n “Na pocz\u0105tku wprowadzenie systemu kaucyjnego powoduje naturalne turbulencje, ale pierwsze wyniki s\u0105 obiecuj\u0105ce \u2013 ju\u017c mamy 100% wi\u0119cej zbior\u00f3w butelek plastikowych ni\u017c wcze\u015bniej w \u017c\u00f3\u0142tych koszach. Oczywi\u015bcie logistyk\u0119 nale\u017cy poprawi\u0107 \u2013 operatorzy musz\u0105 usprawni\u0107 odbi\u00f3r butelek,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/390KBSdfM1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ministerstwo Klimatu i \u015arodowiska (@MKiS_GOV_PL) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The system requires consumers to pay a deposit ranging from 0.5 zloty to 1 zloty when buying products in plastic or glass bottles or metal cans. The deposit is then reimbursed to consumers when they bring the packaging back to a store or another collection point.<\/p>\n Speaking to broadcaster RMF this week, Hennig-Kloska said that the proportion of plastic bottles being recycled was now double what it was before the system was introduced. She later confirmed that the recycling rate is now 60%.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for her ministry told Notes from Poland that, under the previous system, in which consumers returned plastic containers in yellow-coloured bins or bags, the recycling rate stood at around 30%. The statutory goal of the new system is to collect 77% of containers by 2028, rising to 90% by 2029.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n However, Hennig-Kloska also acknowledged that there has been public criticism of the system and admitted that some \u201clogistical adjustments\u201d are needed to improve its functioning.<\/p>\n She said that she would soon meet with operators to discuss improving signage for bottle return points, particularly in stores where returns are handled by employees and not machines. \u201cCustomers need to know where they can return bottles if a given store does not have a machine,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n A recent IBRiS poll for the Rzeczpospolita daily found that 46.3% of respondents have used the system. However, only 27.6% of respondents assessed it positively, down from around 60% when the system was first launched. Meanwhile, 50.5% assessed it negatively, while 19.8% said they had no opinion.<\/p>\n Citing surveys and comments made by users on social media, the newspaper reported a range of complaints, including that machines for returning containers often do not work or, in the case of small localities, are simply not available.<\/p>\n Poland has launched a nationwide deposit-refund system for plastic and metal drinks containers, with the aim of increasing recycling.<\/p>\n A deposit will be added to the cost of such products, with the money paid back when the consumer returns the packaging https:\/\/t.co\/tuOBq5DKQE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Another poll conducted by IQS Opinion Research Institute as part of a campaign for World Recycling Day this week found that the most commonly cited reasons for people not using the system were a lack of return machines and a lack of space at home for storing empty packaging.<\/p>\n Another poll by Ariadna for the news website Wirtualna Polska found that 56% of respondents were discouraged from using the system because they were unable to crush the bottles before returning them.<\/p>\n Piotr Okurowski, CEO of Kaucja.pl, which is one of the operators of the system, told\u00a0Rzeczpospolita that such frustrations \u201cdo not surprise us at this stage of implementation, as we assumed that the launch of the system would pose challenges\u201d.<\/p>\n Sonda\u017c: Polacy czuj\u0105 si\u0119 nabici w butelki. \u201eRzeczpospolita\u201d zapyta\u0142a o ocen\u0119 systemu kaucyjnego. https:\/\/t.co\/2PGk2PFtte<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Micha\u0142 Ciechowski (@M_Ciechowski) March 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, figures from Confederation (Konfederacja), a far-right group that sits in parliament, have called\u00a0the system a \u201cscam\u201d in which consumers \u201cline the pockets of major corporations.\u201d<\/p>\n They allege that deposit funds from unreturned containers are paid out to a firm that manages the system\u2019s operations, including on bonuses for its executives, rather than for logistical improvements.<\/p>\n In response, Hennig-Kloska told radio broadcaster RMF that, while deposits are used to support the \u201cnon-profit\u201d company running the system, surplus funds are spent on improving logistical functioning.<\/p>\n She denied that any bonuses had been paid but added that, \u201cif there are any wrongdoings in this area, we will certainly eliminate them.\u201d<\/p>\n PRZEKR\u0118T KAUCYJNY! Ka\u017cda nieoddana butelka zasila prywatne sp\u00f3\u0142ki zarz\u0105dzaj\u0105ce systemem!<\/p>\n Je\u015bli nie oddamy butelki, nasze pieni\u0105dze zostaj\u0105 w systemie i trafiaj\u0105 do operatora. Oficjalnie maj\u0105 utrzymywa\u0107 logistyk\u0119. W praktyce to z tej samej puli utrzymywana jest sp\u00f3\u0142ka\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Ir2jgG5qIJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Konfederacja (@KONFEDERACJA_) March 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u200b
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG-20241105-WA0000-e1730893869198.jpg\")
<\/p>\n