Despite the official position of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, which presents the deposit return scheme as a great success of the circular economy, in practice thousands of Poles encounter every day broken machines, full units, refusals to return the deposit in cash, and the need to engage in “waste tourism”.
In response to questions from our editorial team, the Ministry emphasises the tangible effects of the reform, with 520 million pieces of packaging already accepted at 52,000 collection points. It is indeed an impressive figure, because instead of piling up in forests and along rivers, the bottles and cans are being sent for recycling. The Ministry also highlights the dense network of reverse vending machines, including 24,000 small outlets below 200 m², as well as the fact that the machines are already operating in 9,500 locations and are proving popular.
Behind these numbers, however, lies a less optimistic reality. The system of settlements between operators and shops was meant to be based solely on the actual number of returned packages, with double verification at sorting centres. In practice, many shops complain that settlements are sometimes delayed or disputed, and that operators are too quick to resort to “technical” excuses. The Ministry assures that the deposit is a “specified sum of money” that the shop must return to the consumer at the moment the packaging is handed over, and that the slip printed by the machine serves merely as technical confirmation. The voucher must be exchanged for cash, and refusing to pay out - including limiting the refund to vouchers only - carries a penalty ranging from 10,000 to 500,000 zł. And here reality looks different, because consumers report that all too often they stand in front of a full or broken machine while the cashier refuses to accept the packaging manually or pay out cash, offering only a voucher to be spent within the given chain. Shops cite a “lack of authorisation”, a “system failure” or a “full container”. The Ministry stresses that in the event of a breakdown an employee is obliged to accept the packaging manually and settle the deposit at the till. The law is clear - no machine can be a pretext for refusal. In practice, however, this mechanism works poorly, and oversight by the Voivodeship Inspectorate of Environmental Protection is not always effective.
The greatest reservations concern the direction in which the system is evolving. In the opinion of many experts and entrepreneurs, the interests of the large retail chains and big operators are being served at the expense of consumers and small shops. Reverse vending machines are concentrated above all in large supermarkets and city centres. In the provinces and in smaller towns, their numbers are still insufficient. Consumers are forced to drive from shop to shop in search of a working unit, something already being called classic “waste tourism”. Operators, settled on the basis of minimum collection levels (77 per cent at present, 90 per cent from 2029), have strong financial incentives but penalties that are too weak for chronic breakdowns and shortages of machines.
Above all, the settlement of operators should take place solely on the basis of the actual number of returned packages, without any estimates and with full, independent verification at sorting centres. Only then will the grey zone disappear and operators be motivated to service the units better.
Equally important is ensuring an adequate, proportionate number of reverse vending machines across the whole country - not only in large cities and supermarkets, but also in smaller towns and at local shops. Only then will the system become genuinely accessible and stop generating additional costs for consumers in the form of time and fuel.
Another essential step should be the exclusion from the system of operators who abuse excuses such as “breakdown” or “the machine is full” - for example after a third documented case in a given quarter or after exceeding a defined percentage of breakdowns over the course of a year. This is a real whip on companies that treat their obligations with disregard.
Consideration should also be given to an absolute obligation to return the deposit in cash, rather than in the form of vouchers for purchases at selected chains. The deposit is not a marketing loyalty tool in retail, but the consumer's money, which must come back to them immediately and without additional conditions. Introducing these changes would force operators and large chains to take greater care over the quality of service. The inconveniences would cease to be a “cost of implementation” and would become the exception rather than the rule.
In its position, the Ministry of Climate and Environment repeatedly emphasises the primacy of consumer rights and its determination to resolve the problems. It cannot, however, remain a project that looks perfect on paper while in practice frustrating millions of Poles. Success is measured not only by the number of packages collected, but also by whether the ordinary person regards the system as friendly and fair. It is time for the Ministry's declarations to translate into real changes on the ground. Otherwise the ecological revolution risks losing public support.
