The Green Action NGO said on Tuesday that European and Croatian environmental organisations have called on the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to increase the deposit-refund for beverage packaging, saying it is currently the lowest in the European Union.

In order to guarantee a high collection rate and the maximum amount of material for recycling in local industry, the justified minimum value of the deposit-refund in Croatia should be €0.10, Green Action said.

Environmental organisations that are part of a platform combating single-use plastic pollution in Croatia, together with the Reloop platform and the European Environmental Bureau, said it was necessary to improve the existing circular economy model in Croatia.

In 2006, Croatia introduced a deposit-refund system for baverage packaging, which guarantees a higher rate of collection of beverage packing waste and enables quality material for plastic recycling.

Given that Croatia adopted the euro as legal tender on 1 January, the refund amount of 0.50 kuna is now only €0.07, which is the lowest deposit-refund amount in the EU. In Finland, depending on the size of packaging and material, the amount ranges between €0.10 and €0.40, while in Germany and the Netherlands it is €0.25, Green Action said.

Environmental organisations believe that the amount of €0.07 does not provide strong enough motivation to return this type of packaging. They called on the Ministry to expand the system to include single-use plastic baverage packaging of three litres and more and other packaging of liquid edible products, liquid cosmetic products and cleaning products.

The deposit-refund system guarantees a higher rate of return of waste packaging and a higher refund guarantees a higher return, Green Action said.