PASYLE's clear message about DRS: "The cost should not be transferred to supermarkets and consumers"

A clear message about not passing on to retailers and consumers the costs that will be created by the implementation of the DRS guarantee system was sent by the General Secretary of the Pancyprian Retail Trade Association (PASYLE), Marios Antoniou.

He was commenting on references by the Chairman & CEO at METRO AEBE, Aristotelis Panteliadis, Aristotelis Panteliadis, in the context of the 22nd Cyprus Grocery Retail Conference, regarding the upcoming implementation of the DRS (Deposit Return Scheme) guarantee return system in Greece and the inevitable inconvenience it creates for retailers and consumers.

The chairman of the conference and General Secretary of PASYLE, Marios Antoniou sent a clear message to the competent Ministry regarding the ongoing consultations regarding the implementation of the legislation.

"Under no circumstances should the financial burden and the additional costs that will arise be shifted either to retailers, especially supermarkets, or to consumers," Antoniou emphasised.

What DRS entails and the inevitable inconvenience to the retail sector

It is recalled that the resumption of the discussion on the implementation of the DRS guarantee system, in June 2023, and which came like a bolt from the blue after two years of being shelved, had caused disruption to retailers, suppliers, affected associations and organisations.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment’s Department of Environment had invited the associations and bodies involved to a discussion regarding the legislative framework and practices applied in the EU on the packaging recovery system with a guarantee.

DRS is a system that provides for the installation and operation of deposit-based recycling machines for the separate collection of plastic, glass and aluminum packaging waste, which will be placed in the parking lots of supermarkets with premises exceeding 200 sq.m.

For example, consumers who purchase a bottle of water or a soft drink will pay an additional fee that will be refunded upon returning the packaging, in good condition, to the collection point.

Based on a draft, the charge is expected to rise to 5 cents for packages up to 0.5 liters, while for packages from 0.5 to 3 liters the charge will reach 10 cents. Consumers will be charged these fees when they buy, for example, such packages (aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles) and will only be refunded if they return them in good condition to the special areas at supermarkets.

(Source: InBusinessNews)