Hungary
The producer responsibility scheme in Hungary was abolished in 2012 by accepting the new product charge law.
From 2012 ÖKO-Pannon has been working as a consultant company providing services in connection with environmental product charge and Green Dot trademark.
Main services:
- Optimization consultancy with relation to products liable to product charge (packaging, WEE – electric and electronic waste, battery, tyre, advertisement paper)
- Consultancy on individual exemption and coordination
- Preparing for compliance with the actual law on waste
Preparing for compliance with the packaging regulation - Supervision related to the fulfilment of recovery and recycling obligation and product charge reports
- Consultancy in the field of fulfilment of international recovery and recycling obligation (sending in contracts and reports)
- Providing the use of Green Dot trademark
Legal basis
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Before 2012, obligations related to packaging were included in two regulation systems not having tight relationship with each other.
On one hand the manufacturer (in case of packaging waste, the emitter of the packaged product) was responsible not only for planning the life of the packaged good but its packaging, too, thus it must provide for the collection and recycling of the produced waste. On the other hand the emitter of the packaging was also obliged to pay a tax-like product charge. However an exemption was given from the product charge if the obligor reaches an appropriate rate of recovery of the emitted packaging waste. The recovery rate increased year by year.
The new legislation on the product charge updated from 2012 ceased the system operated by the EPR schemes and took the management of recyclable waste into the hands of the state. The most significant amendment of the regulation was that the environmental obligations and recycling targets prescribed to the emitters of products affected by the product charge payment (packaging waste, electronic waste) cannot be achieved via a coordinating organisation. In some cases and under some special conditions, it is still possible to individually comply with the environmental obligations.
According to the legislation the state set up the National Waste Management Agency which took over the coordination of the recycling of waste produced by products affected by the product charge payment from 1st January 2012.
Facts and figures
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Data 2024
| Population | 10 mil. |
| No. of local authorities | 964 municipalities |
| Packaging introduced to the market |
1507,7 kt In 2022, Hungary generated approximately 44 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per capita, ranking second in the European Union |
| Recovered waste |
849,8 kt = 56,4% The recycling rate for plastic packaging waste in Hungary stands at 33%, which is below the EU average of 41%. |
| Further comments | As of 2024, Hungary’s packaging waste management landscape has evolved significantly. The country has implemented a mandatory deposit return scheme for beverage containers, leading to the return of over 100 million bottles and cans since its launch. |
Packaging organisation/s in Hungary:
