The ROP may come into force only in the next two years

The Ministry of Climate and Environment announced that the ROP (extended producer responsibility) system may come into force only in the next two years. The bill is already long overdue, but its draft has attracted an avalanche of criticism and... is stuck.

The bone of contention is, of course, costs. Extended producer responsibility introduces the "polluter pays" principle. A company that markets its products in packaging will pay fees to cover the costs of collecting, sorting and processing waste generated from this packaging.

Business had reservations about the previous bill. Critical comments included: hidden fees and costs generated, among others, in urban areas.

Local governments reported that the deposit system would reduce the income of installations that would have less plastic waste for sale, e.g. PET bottles. Municipalities will therefore fight for the amount of ROP fees, because they currently argue that local governments finance business activities by cleaning up waste produced.

Companies and producers are pushing for a "fair" system, i.e. - in their opinion - one that does not favor any party, neither the local government, nor entrepreneurs, nor recyclers, nor consumers.