The deposit system, launched on October 1, 2025, has quickly become one of the most noticeable elements of environmental policy in Poland. Returning packaging has become part of the daily routine of many consumers, and for some of them, recovering deposits has become as natural as sorting waste.
This is confirmed by data from the Ministry of Climate and Environment – over a billion packages have already been collected since the system was launched, and each week their number increases by another 100 million.
The deposit system has changed habits
Videos of people returning hundreds or even thousands of packages at a time regularly appear on social media. Regardless of whether the motivation is concern for the environment or the desire to recover money, the effect remains the same – valuable raw materials return to circulation instead of ending up in forests, parks or landfills.
It is economic value that has proven to be one of the most effective tools for changing behavior. Packaging is no longer worthless waste. It has become an item worth giving back.
Glass more visible
However, the success of the deposit system has highlighted a problem that had previously remained partially hidden among other waste. Today, when PET cans and bottles are less and less common in public spaces, disposable glass bottles are the ones that attract attention. This is confirmed by the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Yotta for Eko-Unia. Over 60 percent respondents indicated abandoned glass bottles as one of the most irritating landscape elements. The problem turned out to be almost as troublesome as the remaining dog feces.
The responses of residents of the largest cities are particularly telling. As much as 63 percent respondents declare that glass on sidewalks, lawns and bus stops is an everyday sight for them. At the same time, other types of packaging are noticed much less often. In the largest cities, only 35% indicated cans. respondents. This difference does not seem accidental. According to ecologists, it is the presence or absence of a deposit that determines it. Packaging covered by the system gains value. Any packaging left outside becomes just garbage.
Glass more visible
However, the success of the deposit system has highlighted a problem that had previously remained partially hidden among other waste. Today, when PET cans and bottles are less and less common in public spaces, disposable glass bottles are the ones that attract attention. This is confirmed by the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Yotta for Eko-Unia. Over 60 percent respondents indicated abandoned glass bottles as one of the most irritating landscape elements. The problem turned out to be almost as troublesome as the remaining dog feces.
The responses of residents of the largest cities are particularly telling. As much as 63 percent respondents declare that glass on sidewalks, lawns and bus stops is an everyday sight for them. At the same time, other types of packaging are noticed much less often. In the largest cities, only 35% indicated cans. respondents. This difference does not seem accidental. According to ecologists, it is the presence or absence of a deposit that determines it. Packaging covered by the system gains value. Any packaging left outside becomes just garbage.
The ministry is analyzing the problem
Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Anita Sowińska confirmed that such a scenario is currently being analyzed.
– I am very much in favor of this solution, but we will make a decision within a few months because we also need to subject it to consultations and we anticipate some time for implementation for entrepreneurs – she said at a press conference.
The deputy minister also referred to the issue of small alcohol bottles.
– We have been communicating for many months that we would like to include them in the deposit system – she informed.
As she emphasized, this topic should be considered in a broader context covering all disposable glass packaging.
Close the system
According to environmental organizations, expanding the system would be a natural next step.
– This is no longer a minor aesthetic problem, but a symbol of the culture of disposability and the unpunished littering of common space. Each such bottle is not only waste, but also a real threat to people, animals and urban greenery. Therefore, monkeys and other disposable glass bottles should be included in the deposit system – where the deposit works, the packaging stops lying on the streets because it simply starts to have value. If we want truly clean cities, we need to ensure that no bottle is more cost-effective to throw away than to return – says Paweł Pomian, vice-president of the EKO-UNIA Ecological Association.
This is just the beginning
Including single-use glass in the deposit system could mean closing the most important gap left by the first stage of the reform. For the environment, this would mean less waste in public spaces. For local governments – lower cleaning costs. And for consumers – simpler and more transparent rules for dealing with beverage packaging. However, the most important thing is to build a system in which each packaging has its value and place in circulation, and waste becomes raw materials. The success of the first months of operation of the deposit shows that such a direction is possible.
