The deposit-refund system for beverage containers will help recycle over 2.5 billion plastic bottles and cans, reduce the amount of uncollected waste, and decrease pollution in public spaces, both in cities and rural areas. The government has approved a draft amendment to the packaging law, which, in addition to the deposit-refund system, introduces a charge for promotional leaflets.

"Currently, one in five PET bottles and three out of four cans end up outside of recycling bins. 400 million plastic bottles and 500 million cans end up in nature, landfills, or incinerators each year. And separate collection alone does not guarantee recycling; for plastics, the rate is roughly 50%, and for aluminum, it's almost negligible, only just over a quarter of the collected amount. Therefore, a deposit-refund system makes sense, which should allow us to recycle 90% of all sold packaging by 2029. The costs of implementing and operating the system will be borne by beverage manufacturers and importers. Consumers will pay a refundable deposit of four Czech crowns. This amount will be refunded, regardless of whether they are shopping at a large supermarket, a small store, or online. Thanks to this, we should be able to bring 90% of plastic bottles and cans back into circulation within five years," explains Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL).

He adds: "Czechs are excellent at sorting plastic, but we are lagging behind in the recycling of PET bottles and cans. I want to prevent plastic bottles and cans from littering nature, ditches, and cities, which is why I believe it is important to implement a deposit-refund system for PET bottles and cans. Thanks to the deposit-refund system, a plastic bottle will once again become a 'PET bottle,' which is not currently possible; they are only reused for things like sweatshirts or car mats. If a deposit-refund system is not implemented, it will mean higher costs for municipalities and a higher fee for citizens. The deposit-refund system has proven successful in 16 European countries, and more will follow. The Czech Republic is one of the last countries in the region that has not yet implemented a deposit-refund system for PET bottles or cans, and we need to increase the recycling rate. In addition, municipalities will benefit: they will receive 15% of the unredeemed deposits, which averages 39 Czech crowns per citizen. We are not disrupting the current sorting system; we are simply supplementing it for better real-world recycling: sorting does not equal recycling."

The deposits will apply to non-alcoholic beverages in plastic bottles with a volume of 0.1 to 3 liters and alcoholic beverages with up to 15% alcohol content in plastic bottles. It also applies to all non-alcoholic beverages in cans with a size of 0.1 to 1 liter and beverages with up to 15% alcohol content in cans. The only exception is milk and dairy products, which will not be subject to a deposit.

Stores, gas stations, and municipalities will redeem bottles and cans.

Customers will handle PET bottles and cans in a similar way to how they currently handle deposit-refund glass bottles. They will pay a deposit at the time of purchase, which will be the same for both bottles and cans. The exact price will be determined by a regulation accompanying the law, and the proposed amount is four Czech crowns. It is not necessary to wash the beverage containers when returning them. It is important that they are returned with the label attached, are not deformed, and are not crushed, so that their unique EAN code can be scanned.

Retailers will be required to collect bottles and cans in stores larger than 50 square meters, as well as at all gas stations. This represents a total of more than 11,000 collection points. Smaller stores and municipalities can voluntarily participate, as can kiosks, schools, and one-off events. Online retailers will also be required to collect deposit-refund containers. In municipalities with more than 300 residents, where there is no mandatory or voluntary collection point, the system operator will be required to establish one. This will ensure that the system is accessible to the vast majority of residents.

A single central operator will manage the entire system. Importers, manufacturers, and retailers who together supply at least 80% of the packaging subject to the deposit-refund scheme will become members of this system. The operator will apply for authorization, which is granted by the Ministry of the Environment for a limited period. The ministry will also monitor the operator's activities.

Municipalities will be able to receive funds directly from the deposit-refund system. This will be through handling fees for collection points, and also through a portion of the money from unclaimed deposits. If the operator fails to meet the collection targets for deposit-refund containers in a given year, they will have to pay a fine of 200,000 Czech crowns for each ton that falls short of the target.

The amendment to the Packaging Act also introduces another new measure: a recycling fee for paper advertising leaflets. According to the proposal, distribution companies that supply advertising materials to mailboxes or stores will be responsible for paying this fee. Municipalities will use these funds for recycling and for the collection of containers in which the waste leaflets are disposed of.

Leaflets burden municipal waste management systems and contribute to pollution, so it is necessary to address this situation. The production of leaflets in the Czech Republic is consistently around four billion pieces per year. This represents approximately 20,000 tons of paper per year, which ends up in sorted waste collection or even as litter on the streets.

"Every household in the Czech Republic receives up to 400 unsolicited leaflets each year, many of which end up directly in paper recycling bins. Currently, the costs of removing these leaflets are borne exclusively by municipalities, and manufacturers do not contribute in any way. We want to change this practice so that municipalities receive funding for waste management and, ultimately, save citizens money who pay for unwanted advertising," adds **David Surý**, Head of the Department for Environmental Protection.

Ministry of the Environment / gnews - RoZ_07

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