The Ordinance on packaging and packaging waste (OG 88/15, 78/16, 116/17, 14/20) and the Regulation on the management of packaging waste (OG 97/15, 7/20) lay down that upon placing products on the Croatian market, the producer and importer shall pay to the Environmental Protection Fund the following fees: the waste packaging management fee and deposit fee.
The waste packaging management fee
It is paid to cover the cost of collecting and recycling packaging waste in an extended producer responsibility system managed by the Fund. The Fund transfers part of the money thus collected to collectors and recyclers, and retains part of it for its operating expenses.
The management fees are calculated by two criteria.
- Criteria – according to the type of packaging material
- PET, Al cans – 410,00 HRK/ t
- Fe cans – 225,00 HRK/ t
- paper / cardboard – 375,00 HRK/ t
- multilayer composite packaging – 750,00 HRK/ t (except for drinks 410,00 kn / t)
- wood, textile, glass – 150,00 HRK/ t
- plastic bags – 1.500,00 HRK/ t
- other polymer materials for dairy products – 410,00 HRK/ t
- other polymer materials – 750,00 HRK/ t
2. Criteria – per unit (only for beverage packaging)
- amounts to HRK 0,10 per unit of beverage packaging in disposable PET, Al / Fe and glass containers with a volume equal to and greater than 0,2 l. The exception is milk and liquid dairy packaging for which the fee per unit of sales packaging is HRK 0,02 and will be obligatory from 1.1.2021.
Deposit fee
It is paid only for beverage packaging and it encourages the consumer to return the beverage packaging waste to the seller and receives a refund or deposit (0,50 HRK/ pc).
Records
Producers and importers are required to keep records of the quantities and types of packaging and submit them periodically to the Environmental Protection Fund on the prescribed forms.
- Form AO3 – report on the type and quantity of reusable packaging
- Form AO10 – report on the type and quantity of disposable packaging
Calculation and payment of fees
On the basis of the information provided in forms A03 and A010, the Fund issues a decision on the amount fees that the producer and importer must pay to the Fund.
Exceptions
Producers and importers who place on the market less then following quantities yearly:
- 300 kg glass packaging,
- 100 kg of paper, cardboard and multilayer packaging,
- 50 kg metal packaging,
- 50 kg plastic packaging,
- 50 kg of wood packaging,
- 50 kg packaging of other packaging materials,
are not obliged to pay the waste management fee but are required to pay the deposit fee if they place beverages on the market.
Contact us if you are a producer or importer of products you are placing on the Croatian market and you are not sure what your obligations to the Environmental Protection Fund are.
