The glass return system is stuck because too many people are using it

Although, according to the original government decree, it should have started already on the first of January, the new redemption system (DRS) was finally launched on a mandatory basis only now, at the beginning of this month. Plastic and metal containers with a capacity of between 1 dl and 3 l can be returned at a unit price of HUF 50 with the help of vending machines located in stores with a floor area of ​​more than 400 square meters, or where this is not possible, manually or with the help of mobile return cars.

In January, the mandatory introduction of the new system had to be postponed because, according to the rationale, all parties involved had to prepare for the transition. According to the current situation, the new system has been launched, but not everything is going smoothly, there are reports of interruptions from more and more switching places.

And since the beginning of the month, stores can only sell their products in bottles or beverage cans that have been provided with the bar code required for the redemption procedure. The machines displayed in the stores are relatively simple and straightforward to use, yet there have been many complaints about their operation over the past few weeks.

The full machines are emptied by the company responsible for waste management, Mol Hulladékfászállógi Zrt. (MoHu), and then transports the waste to a central waste yard. However, it looks like the company is not able to do this at the pace that would be required. This is understandable, since compared to the past, it is no longer allowed to crush or trample the plastic and metal containers intended for recycling, so large-volume bottles, especially in the middle of summer, quickly accumulate in households, and although you can hear interruptions related to the scanning of barcodes and the operation of the vending machines , most of the problems stem from the finite capacity, with which the discharges are not yet able to compete.

The Secretary General of the National Trade Association, Tamás Kozák, stated that not only the consumers, but also the affected shops complain about the lack of deliveries.

Most of these stores do not have enough space for the increased storage needs, and in addition, they still bring back many bottles that were put on the market before the introduction of DRS. These are not returned by the machine, but disappointed customers usually don’t take them anymore, they leave them either in a nearby store or next to the machine.