From December 1, 2025, consumers will have to pay more for plastic bottles and aluminum cans because of environmental “cheating”introduced as part of a unified nationwide “warranty system” for plastic and aluminum containers.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy's Waste Management and Energy Storage Bill tabled in Parliament, the DRS scheme applies to disposable plastic and metal containers up to 3 liters. The guarantee fee is set at 0.10 euros for each package for drinks with a volume of up to 0.5 liters and 0.15 euros for each package for drinks with a volume of more than 0.5 liters and up to the maximum package size included in the system.
There are approximately 15,000 bottle drop-off points scattered throughout Greece. At these points the consumer will return the bottles and receive a guarantee feewhich he will pay when buying plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Beverage packaging manufacturers will need to establish a single collective system for managing alternative packaging waste across the country and implement a return guarantee system for such packaging in order to achieve quantitative recycling targets.
Under the revised European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the establishment of guarantee schemes by Member States is now mandatory. A corresponding joint ministerial decision defining the responsibilities and obligations of all parties involved in the implementation of the guarantee system for plastic, aluminum and glass beverage packaging was adopted two years ago (Government Gazette B' 3883/21.07.2022). However, it did not come into force from January 2023, as originally envisaged, and since then this period has been continuously extended.
The bill also provides for the introduction of a separate collection service for recyclables and bio-waste in small island and mountain municipalities with a population of less than 10,000 people, regulation of issues related to alternative waste management and intervention in the activities of solid waste management authorities. Finally, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will be able to directly intervene in issues related to the elimination of emergency situations in the field of waste management, the prevention of environmental pollution and the settlement of fines EU.
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