In brief

• From 1 January 2027, the product fee will rise for companies that fail to collect the required mass of beverage packaging.
• The rate for each missing kilogram of plastic bottles and metal cans will rise from PLN 1 to PLN 5.
• The deposit paid at the time of purchase will not change; the increase concerns businesses.

Higher product fee rate

It applies to plastic bottles and metal cans that a company has not collected in the required quantity (Drastyczna podwyżka: pięć razy więcej za butelki. Co to oznacza dla konsumentów? – Bankier.pl) (System kaucyjny uderzy w firmy. Opłata wzrośnie do 15 zł – money.pl). The rate for each missing kilogram will rise from PLN 1 to PLN 5 (Od 1 stycznia zmiany w systemie kaucyjnym. Pięciokrotny wzrost opłaty produktowej – Rzeczpospolita). Without an agreement with the deposit system operator, the rate may be higher and in some cases amount to as much as PLN 15 per kilogram.

Why the increase

The system has been operating since October 2025. The Ministry of Climate and Environment explains that the initially low rates were meant to provide a "soft start" and protect companies from high penalties for failing to meet recovery standards (Rosną opłaty w systemie kaucyjnym. Niektóre firmy zapłacą więcej – Onet) (Wielkie zmiany w systemie kaucyjnym. Będzie kolejny wzrost opłat? | Biznes Info – biznesinfo.pl). The transitional period is ending, which is why the fees are rising.

What about the deposit at the till

The deposit paid at the time of purchase remains the same, and the customer recovers it after returning the empty packaging (Rachunek wzrośnie 5 razy. Od 1 stycznia ogromna podwyżka za butelki i puszki – wp.pl). The product fee applies to businesses, not consumers. However, some analyses suggest that the higher costs may partly pass through to beverage prices.

Changes in collection

Operators also announce easier return of packaging. Plans include devices that accept many packages at once, as well as solutions based on mobile apps (Nadchodzą zmiany w systemie kaucyjnym. Cel to jeszcze więcej butelek ze zwrotów – GazetaPrawna.pl).

Scale of returns

Since the system began operating, more than 5 billion packages have been returned. Nevertheless, many beverages in bottles and cans not covered by the deposit remain on the market, most often in companies, organizations and institutions.