Obligations under deposit-refund system for PET bottles and cans
Not all PET bottles thrown away in yellow bins are recycled. The mandatory charging of deposits on them should help in this respect. The Ministry of the Environment has published a draft amendment to the Packaging Act. Below we summarise the impact it will have on consumers and businesses.
We informed you about the planned introduction of deposits for PETs and cans in this previous article. The principle of the deposit is that both the producer and the seller will be obliged to add the deposit value on to the amount for which they sell the beverage deposits. To get their deposit back, consumers will have to take the undamaged drink containers, including the label, back to a designated place.
Drink containers subject to deposit
Deposits will apply to PET containers and cans with content ranging from 0.1 to 3 litres used for soft drinks and some alcoholic beverages containing no more than 15% alcohol. Contaniners for milk and dairy products, iced coffee with milk, and disposable glass containers will be exempt from this obligation. The same applies to containers provided for transport on international routes (e.g. on buses), sold in duty-free zones, or intended for export.
The deposit amount is still uncertain and will be determined by decree. The Ministry of the Environment estimates it to be at least CZK 4.
New obligations
New obligations will apply to:
- producers of drink containers
- wholesalers and retailers (i.e., end sellers)
- deposit system operators
- ordinary consumers.
Producers will have to register their containers with an operator and pay a deposit and a fee for each container placed on the market. When the producer sells the beverage in the container subject to deposit to the end seller, the latter will have to pay the deposit in addition to the drink price. Subsequently, the consumer will also pay the end seller a deposit in addition to the price of the drink. When the consumer returns the drink container, the end seller will refund the deposit. The end seller will then return the collected containers to the operator who will refund the relevant deposits. The end seller will in turn pay the operator the handling fee as a reward for handling containers. The operator will have several obligations relating to the collected containers, as they will have to check, count, transport and process any waste from the containers. The recycled material can then be resold (e.g. to manufacturers). The life cycle of the material could thus be circular.
In addition, end sellers (regular shops but also petrol stations) will have to set up container take-back points, which in the ministry's estimates may number up to 11,000. In addition to bricks-and-mortar shops, this obligation will also apply to e-shops that have their own delivery (e.g., rohlík.cz or košík.cz).
When will the deposit system be launched?
The ministry originally estimated that the deposit system would start at the beginning of 2025. The bill proposes its effectiveness from 1 January 2025; however, the ministry proposes to allow a year for preparation, with a launch in 2026. The amendment is now at the beginning of the legislative process and has not yet been submitted to the government for discussion.