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Cost Reimbursement for Retailers

One-way beverage packaging retailers who are obliged to accept packaging waste or who voluntarily participate in the system incur costs related to the acceptance of the packaging, the return of the deposit and the provision of information to the public. These costs are reimbursed by USAD.

Reimbursement rates are set by the USAD board for each fiscal year. They may be amended over the year, but not more than once in a fiscal year, in case of regulatory, economic changes or other circumstances or having a significant effect on costs during the current fiscal year.

When setting tariffs, the board shall be guided by the following principles:

  • tariffs must compensate retailers‘ costs;
  • tariffs must be differentiated for different types of disposable packaging: glass, PET, and metal (aluminium, steel);
  • tariffs are differentiated according to the method of collection: manual and automated;
  • tariffs must be the same for all retailers.

The Board shall set the tariffs considering:

  • costs estimated according to the estimation methodology developed by independent auditors and using their developed model;
  • forecasted economic indicators for the current fiscal year: inflation according to the harmonised index of consumer prices, changes in wages;
  • quantities of packaging to be collected.

At the end of the set period, the actual costs are adjusted based on the quantities of packaging collected, the economic indicators of the previous fiscal year and any unforeseen additional costs for retailers. In case of discrepancies between forecast and actual costs, the differences in the amounts of these costs (both positive and negative) are considered in setting the rates for the following fiscal year.

The methodology for estimating retailers‘ costs is based on an independent audit implemented in 2017, which assessed how much and what resources are needed for the retailer to ensure high quality collection of packaging.

Working hours, required premises, investments in the installation of premises, electricity, water, cleaning products and other costs are calculated and estimated during the audit. The auditors measure the time and resources for each operation to handle each type of packaging.

Based on the audit data, a unique model and methodology for calculating compensation rates has been developed. Based on it, the rates of reimbursement of retailers' costs are reviewed and calculated each fiscal year.