Regulatory & Policy August 25, 2026
Until today this site told you Poland had no deposit return system and that one was coming with the 2029 PPWR mandate. That was wrong, and it had been wrong for some time. Poland's system has been operating since October 2025 and had collected 3.2 billion containers by August 21, 2026.
What is actually in scope. Plastic bottles up to 3 litres and metal cans up to 1 litre carry a 0.50 PLN deposit. Reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres carry 1.00 PLN. Two details catch people out: the metal limit is 1 litre, lower than the 3 litre PPWR scope, and reusable glass is included, which PPWR does not require. Collection is mandatory at every shop above 200 square metres selling in-scope drinks, and at smaller shops that sell reusable glass.
What to do. If you sell beverages into Poland, this is a live obligation and not a 2029 one. Your in-scope packaging must already carry the deposit mark and the deposit amount, and you must already be registered with a licensed operator. If you had this on a 2029 plan, move it. Check the Ministry of Climate and Environment's own scheme pages at gov.pl/web/klimat/system-kaucyjny.
On the error itself. It reached the country navigator, the Poland country page and the fee tables, and every internal consistency check passed because all three agreed with each other. The fix and the reason it survived review are logged in full. Source: Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska, official deposit-system portal, read August 25, 2026. [LOCKED]
This entry is part of the PPWR Atlas update log. The Atlas is re-checked against the Official Journal, Commission guidance, and each national PRO's published schedule, and everything that changes gets logged with its source. See the week of August 24, 2026 or the full update archive.