From 1 January 2027, the basic rate of the product fee for failing to meet the collection obligation for plastic bottles and metal cans will rise from PLN 1 to PLN 5 per kilogram. It will be charged to producers and importers of beverages, not to customers at the checkout.
Who the fee applies to
The product fee is paid by entrepreneurs placing beverages in packaging on the market who have not achieved the required collection level for packaging covered by the deposit system. According to the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the required level in 2026 is 77%, and for every missing kilogram of packaging the company pays PLN 1. The fee is calculated on the mass of missing packaging, not on the contents of the bottle or can.
Example: if the missing packaging mass is 1,000 kg, the basic fee in 2027 will be PLN 5,000 instead of the current PLN 1,000.
Rates: from PLN 0.10 to PLN 5
The regulations provided for a gradual tightening of rates. In 2025, the basic fee for plastic bottles and cans was PLN 0.10 per kg, in 2026 it is PLN 1, and from 2027 it is PLN 5. For reusable glass bottles, the rate rises from PLN 0.05 to PLN 0.25 per kg. These values are cited, among others, in an opinion prepared for the Sejm on the act on packaging and packaging waste management. The act also sets the maximum fee rate for packaging at PLN 25 per kg.
PLN 15 for companies outside the system
If a beverage placer has not concluded an agreement with an entity representing deposit system operators, a triple rate applies. In 2026 it is PLN 3 per kg, and from 2027 it is PLN 15 per kg. The Ministry of Climate and Environment explained that such a high rate is meant to make joining the system profitable and paying the fee not.
Will consumers pay?
The amount of the deposit does not change along with the product fee. The deposit is PLN 0.50 for single-use plastic bottles up to 3 litres and metal cans up to 1 litre, and PLN 1 for reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres. The deposit system has operated in Poland since 1 October 2025.
However, companies may include higher costs in their prices if they fail to achieve the required collection levels themselves. The scale of any possible beverage price increases does not follow from the regulations or from statements by the ministry.
