| Name of Program |
Deposit Act |
| Date Implemented | Passed November 2019; implemented January 2022 |
| Beverages Covered |
All ready-to-drink beverages, including:
|
| Containers Covered |
Containers of the following materials between 0.1L and 3L [1]:
|
| Beverages Not Covered |
|
| Refundable Deposit |
€0.15 |
| Unclaimed deposits |
Kept by program to offset operating costs. [2] |
| Handling Fee |
N/A |
| Other Taxes and Fees | TBD |
| Redemption Rate | N/A |
Details
Prior to 2003, the Slovak Republic (also known as Slovakia) has had a deposit system in place for refillable glass bottles. [3] In 2018, the Slovakian Minister commissioned the Slovakian Institute for Environmental Policy for a case-study into the potential implementation of a deposit return scheme in the country, in response to the European Union's 90% collection target for recyclable bottles as part of the 2019 Directive on Single-Use Plastics. This study was published in November 2018. In September 2019, the Environment Ministry announced that a deposit scheme for PET bottles and aluminum cans will be implemented in 2022. [4] The scheme was officially implemented on January 1, 2022.
Containers may be returned either manually or through reverse vending machines (RVMs). Stores less than 300 square meters will not be required to accept returned containers. All eligible containers are marked with a giant Z symbol surrounded by recycling arrows, and the text "ZALOHOVANE" (translated as "deposit"). [5] Any containers without this symbol, including those produced prior to the system launch, are not eligible for return. Retailers may decide whether or not to collect and process old containers, but a refund will not be paid.
Image: The symbol of Slovakia's deposit return scheme. Source: Slovensko zálohuje.
As part of Slovakia's greater Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines, manufacturers are expected to both manage and finance the program, with the state operating in a supervisory role. [6] The system administrator, Správca zálohového systému, is a non-profit consortium of four associations that represent beverage producers and retailers within Slovakia. [7] Altogether, the four associations comprise 80% of all packaging placed in the Slovakian market. They are responsible and administering the program under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment of Slovakia.
The system is financed by unredeemed deposits, producer fees, and the selling of recycled material through the system.
The refillable glass deposit program remains unchanged.
In the first 5 months of the program's implementation, over 100 million containers have been returned. The system administrator set an immediate 60% redemption rate goal for the first year of Slovakia's deposit program, with a 70% redemption rate goal for every year afterward. [8]
Footnotes
[1] "New deposit return system for beverage containers launches in Slovakia." TOMRA. January 5, 2022.
[2] "Technical annex to the analysis “Real price of deposit (Analysis of the introduction of the deposit-refund system for single-use beverage packaging in the Slovak Republic.” Institute for Environmental Policy. 2018.
[3] "Implementing DRS in Slovakia." Dráb, Ján. Institute for Environmental Policy. Initially presented November 2019 at Conference on Best in Class Deposit Return Systems for Single Use Beverage Packaging.
[4] "PET Bottles and Cans Will Be Deposited from 2022." The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR). September 11, 2019.
[5] See Footnote 1.
[6]"Najčastejšie otázky." trans. "Frequently Asked Questions." Ministry of the Environment. Last accessed April 2020.
[7] "Deposit Return System in Slovakia." Správca zálohového systému n.o. Last accessed January 13, 2022.
[8] "Slovakia has launched its Deposit Return System." Recycling Magazine. May 9, 2022.
Last Updated on May 22, 2023.