The value of unreturned bottles and cans has exceeded PLN 650 million. Over 70 percent of deposits have not returned to customers. Every time you shop, you pay an extra 50 groszy, and then, for various reasons, that money stays with the operators.
The deposit system launched on 1 October 2025. For a plastic bottle of up to 3 litres and a can of up to 1 litre, you pay 50 groszy. For a reusable glass bottle, you pay PLN 1. You get your money back by returning the packaging at any collection point. You do not need a receipt. A legible label and barcode are enough.
In theory, it sounds simple. In practice, many of us leave those 50 groszy behind for good.
How Much We Really Lose on Deposits
An analysis by the PanParagon app shows that the average consumer buys about 15 plastic containers and 12 cans subject to deposit each month. That is an extra PLN 13.50 a month. Over a year, this comes to about PLN 160.
If you do not return empty packaging, that money is lost. In the first months of the system, over 70 percent of the deposits charged were not reclaimed. The gap between packaging placed on the market and packaging returned has already exceeded PLN 650 million.
Some bottles and cans are still sitting in homes, shops or warehouses. However, this does not mean the full amount will return to customers. A large share has already flowed into the operators’ budgets.
What Happens to Unclaimed Money
Unclaimed deposits do not go to municipalities or flow directly into the state budget. They remain with the operators of the deposit system. The money goes, among other things, to:
- transport and sorting of packaging,
- running collection points,
- purchasing and servicing reverse vending machines,
- infrastructure development.
The less packaging that is returned, the more funds stay in the system. It is a bit like paying a deposit for a trolley at a hypermarket but never returning it: the store keeps the money, and you lose it.
In June 2026, a record 700 million packages were returned. From the start of the year to the end of June, Poles had returned around 2.3 billion bottles and cans. The infrastructure is growing: there are now about 64,000 collection points. The system is gaining momentum, but it is still far from the target return rate of 90–95 percent cited by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
