From January 1st, the mandatory redemption of refreshments and alcoholic beverages – plastic, metal, and glass bottles – will begin in some stores; The National Trade Association grocery commercial companies will operate in about 1,100 shops, the National Trade Association recalled in a statement.
The essence of the redemption system is that it cannot be recharged in the manufacturer’s plants, so when the manufacturer has already indicated it on the packaging, the manufacturer will be required to charge the 50 HUF redemption fee for customers at the time of sale.
According to the announcement, sales sites will be mandatory on the shelves, inscriptions, leaflets and advertisements offering the drinks, in addition to the consumer price, the amount of the 50 HUF redemption fee, but it must also be included in the receipt.
The redemption will be mandatory in grocery stores larger than 400 square meters, not at all other drinks selling, but can voluntarily join the system. In these stores, the reduction is made by automatic equipment that checks whether the tossed bottle can be redeemed, properly labeled, and the bottle is damaged.
The customer can throw an empty drink package taken back to the store into the redemption vending machine. These vending machines will immediately give the customer a purchase voucher that can be purchased, the value of which is the same as the redemption fee: 50 HUF per package. Customers must take care of the redemption voucher because if it is lost or damaged, the business will not be able to settle when purchasing.
At the same time, it has been indicated that non-reduced bottles should not be thrown into the vending machines, they could cause failure and damage. Bottles less than 0.1 liters and larger than 3 liters will not be redeemed. In addition, the rechargeable bottles should not be thrown into the vending machines, which must be returned and transferred to the stores as usual.
It was also mentioned that there would be a transition period from January to 30, 2024. This is used to ensure that manufacturers can properly close the transition that has already begun to the new system, as the possibility of redemption must be indicated on each beverage package that cannot be carried out overnight.
During the transitional period, manufacturers can also transfer non-redeemable packaging drinks to merchants, but from July 2024 they can only carry goods by labeling the possibility of redemption.
(MTI)
