Many environmental organizations are advocating for the implementation of DRSs (Deposit Return Schemes) in more countries, to help face the growing problem of plastic waste and promote a more sustainable future. The government of Poland has proposed a new regulation that aims to establish such a system for beverage containers.
What Is a Deposit Return Scheme?
Deposit Return Schemes, or DRSs, are a type of recycling system that prompts consumers to return their used beverage containers to designated collection points in exchange for a refundable deposit. These programs have been successfully implemented in several countries and have shown promising results in reducing litter, promoting recycling, and conserving natural resources. In addition, DRSs can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for virgin materials and energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
The Success of Germany’s DRS
In 2003, Germany became the first major European country with a population exceeding 30 million to adopt a Deposit Return System by taking inspiration from the systems in the Nordic nations. Germany’s DRS has achieved an impressive collection rate of 98%, which makes it the world’s highest performing DRS.
Poland’s System to Meet EU Recycling Targets
Poland’s DRS, which is expected to be implemented from January 1st 2025, will include the following types of containers:
- Disposable plastic beverage bottles with a capacity of up to 3 liters, including their plastic caps and lids (excluding glass or metal beverage bottles with plastic caps and lids)
- Reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 liters
- Metal cans up to 1 liter
Poland’s system was designed to help the country achieve EU objectives, such as the EU/904/2019 directive which mandates member states to ensure 77% recycling of single-use plastics by 2025 and 90% by 2029. The law was initially presented in 2021 and was anticipated to take effect this year, but industry representatives have claimed that even the presently scheduled launch date of January 1st 2025, is impractical and have requested another year to execute the program.
Views on Poland’s DRS Implementation
“Tomra”, a Norwegian company providing automated recycling solutions for metal, plastic, and glass beverage packaging, is enthusiastic about the process, stating that DRSs are proven to maximize resource efficiency and reduce environmental pollution. Supporting Tomra, Mrs. Sapota, vice president of public affairs for eastern Europe, shared her excitement for the government representatives, industry, and consumers having recognized the benefits of this solution. With less than half of Poland’s beverage containers being collected and recycled until now, she states that with the implementation of DRS, a maximum of 90 % collection level on beverage packaging can be achieved. Through this system, the nation can recover more than 12 billion beverage containers for recycling every year.
On the other hand, Mrs. Kozera-Szalkowska, managing director at “Plastics Europe”, mentions that, although, DRS might be seen as key for enhancing plastics recycling targets in Poland, it only covers a selected stream of plastics waste, representing around 3-5 % of the total plastics waste. She added that an effective EPR (Extended producer responsibility) scheme for the entire value chain in Poland is what is needed to make a real impact.
DRS System in Greece
A lot of discussion is done in Greece on the implementation of a DRS system for bottles and cans. DRS has a lot of benefits for the environment but it is challenging to implement. Careful consideration of several factors needs to be taken into account (printing of labels, collection points organization, transportation of packaging to the recycling sites etc). All the aforementioned and many more require proper infrastructure, designing teams and effort.
Greece has another challenge to face, due to morphology of the country itself. The high number of islands and remote regions in Greece make the system even more difficult to be implemented.
If you would like to learn more about how you can make your packaging more sustainable, contact the Pack-Lab team.
