Compulsory deposit of beverage packaging will help to recycle more than 2.5 billion plastic bottles and cans, reduce the amount of unused waste and also reduce pollution in public places, both in towns and cities and in the open countryside. The government has approved a draft amendment to the Packaging Act which, in addition to back-up, introduces charging for advertising leaflets.
"Today, one in five PET bottles and three out of four cans end up outside of the sorted waste containers. 400 million plastic bottles and 500 million cans a year end up in the environment, in landfill or in an incinerator. And separate collection alone does not mean recycling; the ratio is roughly half for plastics and almost nonexistent for aluminium, just over a quarter of the amount collected. It therefore makes sense to introduce back-up, which should enable us to recycle 90 % of all packaging sold by 2029. The cost of its introduction and operation will be borne by beverage producers and importers, with purchasers paying a refundable deposit of four crowns. This will be returned to them, regardless of whether they shop at a large supermarket, small shop or online. As a result, we should be able to bring 90 % plastic bottles and cans back to life within five years," explains the Minister for the Environment Petr Hladik (KDU-ČSL).
He adds: "The Czechs are great at sorting plastic, but we are still lagging behind in recycling PET bottles and cans. I would like to prevent plastic bottles and cans from rolling around in the countryside, in ditches, in towns and cities, so I think it is important to promote the backup of PET bottles and cans. Thanks to the backup system, the plastic bottle would become a 'petcock' again, which is not possible today, and they are used again at most to make sweatshirts or car mats. If the deposit system is not introduced, it will mean higher costs for municipalities and higher charges for citizens. The deposit system has already proved its worth in 16 European countries and more will follow, making the Czech Republic one of the last countries around us that does not yet deposit PET or cans and we need to increase recycling rates. In addition, municipalities will also benefit: they will receive 15 % from uncollected deposits, which works out to an average of 39 CZK per citizen. We are not undermining the current sorting system, just adding to it for better real recycling: sorting does not equal recycling."
Advances will apply to soft drinks in plastic bottles of 0.1 to 3 litres and alcoholic drinks up to 15 % of alcohol in plastic bottles. In addition, for all soft drinks in cans of 0,1 to 1 litre and drinks containing up to 15 % of alcohol in cans. The only exception concerns milk and milk products, which will not be backed up. Overall, it is estimated that around 2.5 billion PET and cans could pass through the system annually.
Bottles and cans will be bought by shops, petrol stations and municipalities
Customers will treat PET bottles or cans in a similar way as they do today with back-up glass. They will pay a deposit at the time of purchase, which will be the same for both bottles and cans. Its exact price will be determined by a decree on the law, the proposal foresees the amount of four crowns. When returning beverage containers, it is not necessary to wash them in any way; what is important is that they are returned with the label, undeformed and unstamped, so that their unique EAN code can be scanned.
It will be compulsory for retailers to collect bottles and cans in shops over 50 square metres and at all petrol stations. This means a total of more than 11,000 mandatory locations. Smaller shops and municipalities can volunteer, but also, for example, stalls, schools or one-off events. Online retailers will also be obliged to collect backed-up packaging. In municipalities with more than 300 inhabitants, where there is neither a mandatory nor a voluntary collection point, the system operator will make it mandatory. This will make the system accessible to the vast majority of the population
A single central operator will ensure the functioning of the entire system. Importers, manufacturers and retailers who together supply at least 80 % containers subject to back-up will become members of the scheme. The operator shall apply for authorisation, which shall be granted by the MoE for a limited period of time in advance. The Ministry will also control its activities.
Municipalities will be able to receive funds directly from the advance system. Firstly, they will be the recipients of part of the money from unclaimed advances, thanks to the handling fees for the collection points. If an operator fails to meet the targets for collecting deposit packaging for a particular year, it will have to pay a fine of CZK 200,000 for each tonne that falls short of the limit.
The amendment to the Packaging Act also introduces another novelty, the introduction of a recycling fee for paper advertising leaflets. According to the proposal, these should be paid by distribution companies that deliver advertising materials to mailboxes or shops. This will provide municipalities with funds for recycling and for the removal of containers in which waste leaflets end up.
Leaflets are a burden on municipal waste management systems and contribute to pollution, so this situation must be remedied. The production of leaflets in the Czech Republic is stable at around four billion per year. This represents around 20 000 tonnes of paper per year that end up in the separate collection system or even as waste on the streets.
"Every household in the Czech Republic receives up to 400 unsolicited leaflets a year, which often end up in paper containers. Today, the cost of their disposal is borne solely by municipalities and the manufacturers do not contribute to it. This is a practice that we want to abandon so that municipalities get a contribution to waste management and ultimately save money for the citizens who pay for unsolicited advertising," Adds David Sury, Senior Director of the Environmental Protection Section.
MOE/ gnews - RoZ_07
ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO - pixabay
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