Poland rolls out first deposit‑return recycling machine in Zamość and new dual bio‑waste bins in Nowe Miasto

On 16 June, the city of Zamość became the first municipality in the Lublin region to install a "recyclomat" – a deposit‑return machine for PET bottles and cans supplied by PolKa – Polska Kaucja. The machine can accept up to 3,000 containers, crushes them into cubes and refunds the deposit directly onto a card, with the city bearing no acquisition cost.

Meanwhile, the gmina of Nowe Miasto nad Wartą introduced a two‑stream bio‑waste collection system. Residents must separate green organic waste (leaves, branches, garden material) into large 240‑litre brown bins, and kitchen waste – including meat, bones, and food residues – into smaller 80‑litre ventilated containers. The change, supported by new processing certifications at the Wielkopolskie Recycling Centre, aims to increase recycling rates and comply with upcoming EU waste‑management requirements.

Both initiatives reflect a broader push in Poland to modernise waste handling, improve material recovery, and reduce the amount of mixed refuse sent to landfill.