Implementation of Actions for Extended Producer Responsibility as a Proposal to Streamline Post-Consumer Packaging Management Systems in Poland

Abstract

The transposition of new regulations into national legal systems, including updated goals and requirements for the management of packaging placed on the market and packaging waste, provides a number of opportunities for the operation of post-consumer waste management systems. This publication focuses on the essence and characteristics of the system of extended producer responsibility in selected European countries. This paper identifies, on the basis of an analysis taking into account the scopes of legal, economic, physical, and informational liability, key areas of the extended producer responsibility system requiring improvements. It develops recommendations regarding the possibility of introducing changes to the functioning of the EPR system in Poland. The implementation of the improvement proposals for the EPR can significantly contribute to achieving the existing EU waste targets, as well as the ambitious new targets included in the EU Circular Economy.