Greece is a pioneer in packaging recycling
Warranty return system for plastic, metal and glass packaging from 2023
Plastics are one of the biggest sources of pollution of the environment and especially of the oceans, where according to EU studies, they make up 80%-85% of marine litter. Of all plastics, 50% corresponds to single-use plastics, products, packaging mainly marine problems in ecosystems, biodiversity and human health.
For this reason, the EU has taken a number of measures to reduce the impact of plastics on the environment, while it has set high targets for recycling, amounting to 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029. At the same time, it calls on the member states to take all the necessary measures to make the separate collection for the recycling of packaging.
As an incentive to increase recycling, the European Union recommends to member states the establishment of guarantee system – an additional price that will be paid when they buy products in plastic packaging, which will however be returned to them when they recycle the packaging.
Greece, setting recycling and environmental protection as a national priority, was one of the first countries to incorporate the above European directives and objectives into its legislation. Specifically, with Law 4736/2020 (Official Gazette A’ 200) established the return guarantee system on plastic bottles from 2023, which thena extended to aluminum and glass packaging, with Law 4819/2021 (Government Gazette A’ 129), in order to increase the recycling rates in all packaging materials.
THE EOAN is the competent body, in accordance with the legislation, to recommend the implementation of the system in question in our country and with based on his detailed introduction the joint ministerial decision defining the responsibilities and obligations of all parties involved for the implementation of the return guarantee system for plastic, aluminum and glass beverage packaging (Government Gazette B’ 3883/2022) was recently issued.
Therefore, from the year 2023, citizens when they buy a plastic, aluminum or glass package (of water, liquid soft drinks, juices and nectars, milk, beer, wine) will pay both the cost of the product and the guaranteed consideration (which will range from 10 to 15 euro cents), which is returned when they return the packaging permit to the automatic recycling machine.
In this context, the main advantages of the return guarantee system that will be implemented in Greece from 2023 are:
- The eensuring the use of high-tech recycling machinesthrough the location of reliable technical specifications of the equipment and their control.
- The eflexibility in the methods recyclingdepending on the size of the stores of the warranty return points.
- The ddevising a digital way to check the authenticity of coupons guarantee pricelessthrough the development of special software.
- The dcreation of conditions of free competitionsince the operation of more than one collective system of alternative package management of guarantee return system is allowed.
- Adevelopment of a control framework and supervision of the operation of the collective systems of alternative management of guarantee return system packagesthrough the establishment of control powers by EOAN.
- The dtransparent management of the amount of unredeemed amounts guarantee price paid by citizens from EOAN, which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (corresponding to the management of the environmental fee for the plastic carrier bag, the environmental fee for plastic bottles with a PVC label, the burial fee, etc.).
The Hellenic Recycling Organization (EOAN) is the national body responsible for design and implementationThe policy for the prevention and alternative management of packaging and other products. EOAN is a private legal entity, has administrative and financial autonomy and is under the supervision of the Minister of Environment and Energy.