Significant modifications to the waste management law have been approved by the parliament in Hungary on 15 December 2020. The main elements of the new law are the centralization of waste management according to a new concession concept and a new deposit system for beverage packaging.
According to the changes, from 2023 a substantial portion of waste-related tasks will be concessioned to a single company. This company will be responsible to organize waste management on a national level. Similar concession rights have been introduced in Hungary already for example in the area of gambling. The winner of the concession will be responsible to organize collection and recycling of waste.
The other main change in the new law is to reintroduce a deposit system. Consumers will have to pay the deposit for all beverage packaging. The deposit is given back when returning the waste packaging to collection points or to waste collection machines which is another new element in the law.
All the changes in waste management will come into effect from 1 July 2023 leaving time for companies to prepare. Greenpeace Hungary already signalled that it does not find it ambitious enough to introduce the new deposit system only from 2023.
Source: telex.hu
Cover picture: unsplash / Bas Emmen
