Czech government greenlights return system for bottles and cans

Environment Minister Petr Hladík announced during a press conference on Thursday that the Czech government has approved an amendment to the packaging law, which will introduce a deposit system for PET bottles and metal cans.

The Environment Ministry proposed a four-crown deposit per item, with the exact amount to be determined by decree. The amendment, which now moves to parliament for debate, aims to improve recycling rates and reduce litter in urban and natural settings.

The bill also introduces obligations for advertising leaflets, including a recycling fee for manufacturers and restrictions on blanket leaflet distribution to uninterested recipients.

The ministry’s explanatory report proposes the regulation take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, with the deposit system starting a year later. The EU directive requires member states to collect at least 90 percent of plastic beverage bottles by 2029, a goal the Czech Republic currently falls short of for both plastic bottles and metal cans.

Data from the Environment Ministry indicates that 1.8 billion PET bottles and 0.8 billion cans are produced annually, with a large portion of them not sorted correctly—about one in five bottles and three out of four cans.

The ministry believes the deposit system will significantly improve recycling quality and the use of recycled materials.

“Czechs are good at sorting plastic, but we still need to improve our recycling of PET bottles and cans. I believe it’s crucial to ensure that plastic bottles and cans are not left in nature or urban areas,” said Hladík.

The amendment has sparked debate among ministries, business associations, and regional representatives, with more than 700 comments submitted during the inter-ministerial review process. Concerns about the deposit system's potential economic impact on businesses and municipalities were raised.

Hladík countered that municipalities will face higher expenses without a collection system, and citizens will have to pay larger fees.

"Municipalities will receive 15 percent of uncollected deposits, which comes out to an average of CZK 39 per citizen. We are not disrupting the current sorting system; we are only supplementing it for better real recycling: sorting is not the same as recycling."

The deposit system has been adopted by 16 European nations with several others poised to follow suit, said Hladík. The Czech Republic stands as one of the final holdouts in Europe without a deposit return scheme for PET bottles and cans, lagging behind in recycling efforts.