New product fee rates for glass packaging – significant reductions from 2025
Glass bottles collected under the deposit system will be subject to a lower product fee than assumed. The new product fee rates result from the regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment, which came into force at the beginning of 2025.
Lower product fee for glass bottles covered by the deposit system
On January 1, 2025, an amendment to the regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment came into force, which significantly reduced the product fee rates for glass packaging collected under the deposit system. According to the new regulations, for each kilogram of reusable glass bottles, those introducing them will pay :
- PLN 0.01 (instead of PLN 0.10) in 2025,
- PLN 0.05 (instead of PLN 1) in 2026,
- PLN 0.25 (instead of PLN 5) in 2027 and subsequent years.
Let us recall that the previous regulations provided for uniform rates for all types of packaging covered by the deposit system. So what is the reason for this change?
Reduction of the product fee due to the higher weight of glass packaging
The amendment to the regulation was intended to make the product fee rates more realistic . As emphasized in the justification for the draft of the new regulation, the weight of a glass bottle is many times higher than the weight of a PET bottle or a can of identical capacity. Based on the data cited by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the weights of half-liter packages covered by the deposit system are as follows:
- PET bottle – 13 g,
- drinks can – 14 g,
- glass bottle – 315 g.
This means that per 1 kilogram of packaging there are:
- 77 PET bottles,
- 71 cans,
- only 3 glass bottles.
In line with the principle that it is the number of packages that litters, not their weight , the product fee rates for glass packaging have been significantly reduced.
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Environmental justification for reducing the product fee for glass packaging
The reduction of the product fee for glass packaging was dictated not only by economic issues, but also by ecological ones. The use of reusable packaging has a positive impact on the environment and brings us closer to the realization of the idea of circular economy . The use of returnable glass bottles reduces the scale of production of new bottles, and thus reduces carbon dioxide emissions, electricity consumption and raw materials .
Maintaining the current, uniform product fee rates for all these types of packaging could cause those introducing them to abandon their use and replace “expensive” reusable glass with much “cheaper” single-use plastics. Giving up reusable glass bottles would be a step backwards, moving us further away from the transition to a circular economy.
See also:
- 9 miesięcy opóźnienia w systemie kaucyjnym. Co to oznacza dla branży opakowaniowej?
- Sielaff Bottle Machines – the best machines for the deposit system
Sources:
- Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 24 December 2024 amending the regulation on product fee rates for individual types of packaging, https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20240001960/O/D20241960.pdf
- https://legislacja.rcl.gov.pl/projekt/12389300/katalog/13079739#13079739
