CommunityWarsawPoland national Deposit Return System: launching October 2025Five years of advocacy, one national system After five years of sustained advocacy by the Polish Zero Waste Association, Poland's national Deposit Return System (DRS) is launching on 1 October 2025. The system will apply to beverage containers: bottles, cans, and cartons: across all retail points. For communities and municipalities, the launch creates both infrastructure (return machines, collection logistics) and a cultural shift toward thinking of packaging as something that goes back, not into the bin. What the DRS means for residents - A deposit paid at purchase is refunded when you return the container at a registered return point - Return machines will be installed at supermarkets and retail locations across the country - Manufacturers, retailers, and the state share responsibility under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) How to engage - Polish residents: return your beverage containers from October 2025 at the nearest registered return point: your deposit is waiting - Retailers: follow the official DRS operator guidance on installing return machines in time for the October launch - Municipalities: contact Polish Zero Waste Association for support preparing residents for the DRS launch with education campaigns Why it matters Poland's DRS is proof that persistent, evidence-based advocacy works. After five years, the system is real. It sets a precedent for EPR policy in Poland and demonstrates the path to other advocates working on similar legislation in CEE countries. Source & repost Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it. - Lead: Polish Zero Waste Association - Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th editiondeposit-returnpackagingpolicyDRSnational
CommunityWarsawBaltic Sea coastal waste standards: building a replication model from UstkaTurning a Baltic port town's waste practices into a national template The Polish Zero Waste Association works with the gmina (municipality) of Ustka on the Baltic Sea coast, focusing on waste management standards suited to coastal environments: fishing debris, tourist-season surges, and marine plastic. The project aims to develop replicable standards for Baltic Sea coastal municipalities that other towns along the coast can adopt without having to start from scratch. What the project involves - Developing waste management standards specifically suited to coastal contexts - Collaboration with Ustka on ghost net management (see linked initiative below) - Knowledge sharing with the Pomeranian Region, which invited the Association to support circular economy models for residents - Documenting what works so that Darłowo, Kołobrzeg, Władysławowo, and other Baltic towns have a ready-made framework How to engage - Ustka and Baltic coast municipalities: contact Polish Zero Waste Association for the coastal waste standards framework - Coastal residents: support local waste sorting programmes, especially for marine debris: separate waste correctly and report illegal dump sites near the shore - Fishing communities: engage with the ghost net collection programme to ensure nets that are no longer in service enter the right waste stream Why it matters Coastal towns face waste spikes tourists never see on the map, fishing debris, ghost nets, and summer-season surges. Ustka's standards give every Baltic municipality a head start instead of reinventing the playbook port by port. Source & repost Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it. - Lead: Polish Zero Waste Association + Gmina Ustka - Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th editioncoastalcircularstandardsBalticreplication
Food & GardenWarsaw#ForkToFarm Poland: improving bio-waste collection in three municipalitiesA campaign turning composting from a good idea into a daily habit The Polish Zero Waste Association participates in the #ForkToFarm campaign by Zero Waste Europe, working with three Polish municipalities to improve bio-waste collection rates. The campaign combines practical infrastructure (bins, collection services) with resident education to move organic kitchen waste out of the mixed bin and into the composting stream. What the campaign involves - Working with the three participating municipalities to audit current bio-waste practices - Distributing composting bins and providing set-up guidance to households - Running awareness campaigns explaining what counts as bio-waste and how to compost correctly - Documenting results so the three municipalities can become reference cases for other Polish towns How to engage - Polish residents: check whether your municipality participates in #ForkToFarm and request a bio-waste bin if you don't already have one - Municipalities: apply to the next #ForkToFarm cohort through Zero Waste Europe or contact Polish Zero Waste Association for national programme support - Teachers and community leaders: run a bio-waste workshop using the #ForkToFarm materials: Zero Waste Association can provide resources in Polish Why it matters Kitchen scraps are the easiest fraction to divert, yet they still fill mixed bins across Poland. Three municipalities testing #ForkToFarm together can show neighbours that composting is a daily habit, not a pilot novelty. Source & repost Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it. - Lead: Polish Zero Waste Association - Campaign: #ForkToFarm by Zero Waste Europe - Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th editioncompostingbio-wasteForkToFarmmunicipalitieseducation
Repair & ReuseWarsawPoland: mandatory textile separate collection from January 2025Used clothes now have their own bin: municipalities need to keep up Poland introduced mandatory separate collection of textile waste from 1 January 2025: a legal obligation for municipalities to provide dedicated textile collection infrastructure. The Polish Zero Waste Association is supporting municipalities in building education campaigns and collection systems to meet the new requirement, which affects how residents discard old clothing, fabric, and accessories. What the obligation means - Municipalities must provide clearly marked textile collection points or door-to-door collection for used clothing and fabric - Retailers above a certain threshold must accept back textiles sold in their stores - Residents no longer need to find a charity shop: the municipal infrastructure now handles textile waste How to engage - Polish residents: check where your nearest textile collection point is and use it for worn-out clothing you can't donate or sell - Municipalities: contact Polish Zero Waste Association for education campaign templates in Polish explaining the new collection obligation to residents - Textile retailers: ensure your in-store textile take-back complies with the January 2025 regulation: contact the Association for guidance Why it matters The EU's extended producer responsibility push is bringing textile collection mandates across Europe. Poland's January 2025 launch makes it one of the earlier adopters, and the Polish Zero Waste Association's work building municipal capacity will inform how similar programmes roll out across the region. Source & repost Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it. - Lead: Polish Zero Waste Association - Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th editiontextilescollectionpolicymandatoryEPR
WarsawDate TBDUstka: ghost fishing net management on the Baltic (LIFE project)Keeping abandoned fishing nets out of the Baltic Sea In Ustka, a Baltic Sea fishing town, the Polish Zero Waste Association works on ghost net management as part of the LIFE Pom GOZilla.PL project funded by the EU LIFE programme. Abandoned and lost fishing nets continue to catch marine life long after they leave service: the programme collects, documents, and routes them into appropriate waste streams or recycling channels. Where - Ustka port and Baltic Sea coastline, Pomeranian Region, Poland (approximate pin at Ustka harbour) How to participate - Fishing boat operators at Ustka: contact the programme through Polish Zero Waste Association or the Pomeranian Region environmental office to surrender end-of-life nets to the collection system - Coastal residents and divers: report ghost net sightings to the programme: GPS coordinates help prioritise retrieval - Municipalities along the Baltic: contact Polish Zero Waste Association for the coastal waste standards framework being developed with Ustka Source & repost Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it. - Lead: Polish Zero Waste Association + Gmina Ustka - LIFE project: Pom GOZilla.PL (LIFE Pomerania) - Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th edition
