Launched last October, Poland’s national deposit-refund system has already produced spectacular results in waste management. According to an announcement by Climate Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska, the recycling rate for plastic bottles has doubled compared to previous figures. Although the statistics are highly encouraging from an environmental perspective, the practical operation of the system has provoked serious public criticism: recent polls indicate that half of the Polish population is dissatisfied with the new solution.
How the New System Works and Deposit Fees
The mandatory deposit-refund system introduced in Poland covers plastic and glass beverage bottles, as well as metal drink cans. The mechanism follows classic principles: customers are required to pay a deposit fee when purchasing a product, which currently ranges between 0.5 and 1 zloty depending on the packaging type. Consumers receive this amount back in full when they return the empty packaging to a store or an official collection point.
Quantitative Data: From 30 Percent to 60 Percent
In an interview with the RMF radio channel, the Minister of Climate and Environment highlighted the program’s biggest success to date: since the system’s launch in October, the recycling rate for plastic bottles has doubled. The minister later confirmed this trend with specific numbers, stating that the return rate has currently reached 60 percent.
A spokesperson for the Climate Ministry told Notes from Poland that under the previous selective waste collection system—where consumers had to throw plastic containers into yellow bins or bags—this rate hovered around just 30 percent. The drastic increase is crucial for achieving statutory national targets, which mandate the following collection rates for the future:
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By 2028: collecting 77 percent of all packaging.
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By 2029: collecting 90 percent of all packaging.
Plunging Popularity and Public Dissatisfaction
Despite improving recycling metrics, the Polish public remains highly skeptical and often explicitly negative toward the initiative. The latest opinion poll, conducted by IBRiS for the Rzeczpospolita daily, paints a clear picture of public attitudes:
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46.3 percent of respondents stated they have already used the system in practice.
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Only 27.6 percent view the new model positively. This is a drastic drop compared to the initial support of nearly 60 percent measured at the system’s launch.
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Over half of the respondents, 50.5 percent, judge the system’s operation explicitly negatively.
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Another 19.8 percent could not or did not want to express an opinion on the matter.
Systemic Criticisms and Planned Improvements
Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska officially acknowledged the public criticism regarding the system’s operation and promised continuous improvements. She announced that she will sit down with representatives of the companies operating the system in the near future to address the issues.
The immediate focus is on improving the signage and informational labels at return points. The minister explained that special attention must be paid to stores where returns are handled manually by employees rather than automated machines. “Customers need to know exactly where they can return bottles in case a store does not have an automated machine,” the minister stated.
Alongside logistical problems, financial concerns regarding the operating company have also surfaced in the public sphere. Critics allege that the funds accumulated from unredeemed packaging deposits are not being used to improve logistics and infrastructure, but are instead financing bonuses for the company’s executives.
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