The management of the Ministry of Climate and Environment (MKiS) has approved a request to add to the government’s list of work a draft that would introduce a deposit on single-use glass alcohol bottles of up to 350 ml, the so-called „małpki” (miniatures). Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska announces a two-year transition period.
For now, this is a preliminary stage: the ministry has prepared a request to list the draft amendment in the Council of Ministers’ register of legislative work. The text of the draft itself has not been published, and the rules have not yet been adopted.
What the minister announced
On Friday, 6 November, the ministry published on X a statement by the minister of climate and environment from a Radio Zet broadcast. According to her, the ministry’s management has adopted a draft extending the deposit system to miniature bottles, and the transition period for this extension is planned at two years.
Ministry spokesperson Marek Pogorzelski told PAP that the change concerns „among other things, including single-use glass from alcoholic beverages in the deposit scheme”, applying to bottles up to 350 millilitres. He also announced an appropriate vacatio legis (a period before the rules take effect), which will allow market participants to prepare for the changes.
Deposit vouchers: minimum 90 days
According to reports on the draft, the amendment is also to regulate the validity of deposit vouchers that customers receive in shops for returned packaging. Currently, the rules do not set a validity period for them; the planned minimum is 90 days.
No deposit on dairy drink packaging
The minister stated that the system will not be extended to bottles for dairy drinks. The spokesperson denied reports of work on such a solution: „The ministry is not working on such a solution and has no such plans”.
The minister also spoke about producers who do not take part in the deposit system. In her view, they will pay more, in line with the „polluter pays” principle.
How the system works today
Poland’s deposit system launched on 1 October 2025. Currently, the deposit is 50 groszy for plastic PET bottles up to 3 litres and metal cans up to 1 litre, and 1 zloty for reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres. The deposit is marked by a symbol on the label or can: two arrows forming a rectangle with the word „kaucja” (deposit) and the amount. A receipt is not needed when returning packaging, but the packaging must not be crushed.
As of publication, the ministry has not disclosed the deposit amount for miniature bottles or the date when the draft will be sent for consultation.
