Highlights:

• A deposit and return system is in force in Poland since 1 October 2025.
• According to data from November, almost 60 million packages bearing the deposit mark were in circulation.
• The number of packs is still growing – in October, there were 85,000 packs with a deposit mark in retail sales, and in November, there were already 2.5 million.
• Customers are eager to return packs – from October to November 2025, deposits were paid for 500,000 packs.
• After 1 January, the number of packs covered by the deposit and return system will increase – the introduction of packs without a deposit mark will result in a higher product fee.
• Beverages in packs not covered by the deposit and return system may continue to be sold until stocks are exhausted.

Only packaging marked with a deposit symbol is covered by the universal deposit and return system. It is very important to check whether the packaging should be handed in to the deposit and return system when shopping or after drinking a beverage. Some shops introduce promotions and collect packaging that is not marked with a deposit symbol. These solutions are pro-environmental, but the rules are set by the shop itself. Rules of the universal deposit and return system - return without a receipt, in any shop, for cash - apply to packaging marked with a deposit symbol 

– Anita Sowinska, Deputy Minister for Climate and Environment, said at the conference. 

The deposit mark is essential
Shop shelves stock both drinks in packaging with a deposit mark and drinks not yet covered by the deposit and return system. From the customer's perspective, the deposit mark on the label is key to identifying with which product they are dealing.

Only for packaging with a deposit mark can the seller collect a deposit, and only such packaging can the customer return under the universal deposit and return system – in all large and selected small shops that have joined the system, without proof of purchase, with the right to refund of the deposit in cash.

From 1 January 2026, producers who have joined the deposit and return system will only be able to market beverages in packaging bearing the deposit mark. Products manufactured earlier and placed on the market without the deposit mark may be sold until stocks will be exhausted. More producers can join the system at any time.

Mobilisation for producers
Companies marketing beverages must demonstrate that they have achieved a 77% collection rate for empty bottles and cans under the deposit and return system. If they fail to achieve this level, they will pay a product fee of PLN 1 for each kilogram of packaging that is missing. For producers who do not sign a contract with the operator, the rate will be tripled to PLN 3 per kilogram. If the required level is not achieved, the obligation to pay the product fee rests with both the producer and the operator, each of whom pays 50% of the amount due. This system is designed to encourage beverage marketers to join the deposit and return system and operators to manage the system reliably.

Glass bottles
Reusable glass bottles, alongside plastic bottles and metal cans, are covered by the deposit and return system under the Act of 13 July 2023 amending the Act on packaging and packaging waste management and certain other acts.

There is an ongoing discussion about the voluntary inclusion of reusable bottles in the deposit and return system. The Ministry is awaiting detailed proposals. In the case of glass packaging, a deposit mark will also indicate whether it will be included in the universal deposit and return system. The marking ‘returnable bottle’ without a deposit mark means that, as before, it can be returned, but on terms specified by the manufacturer.

Summary
The deposit and return system is one of the key tools of the State's environmental policy. Thanks to this, the vast majority of bottles and cans will be returned to circulation, supporting recycling and significantly reducing the amount of waste.