Bail system 2026

For the small grocery shop, the most important message is simple: if your sales area is less than 200 m², you are not, as a rule, legally obliged to operate a collection point for packaging as part of a deposit system. However, this does not mean that the topic does not apply to you. The system has already been in operation since 1 October 2025, customers see the deposit mark on packaging and increasingly expect to be able to return bottles and cans when they go shopping every day. The Climate Ministry points out straightforwardly that small shops can voluntarily join the system and the collection can either be done manually or automatically. From a shopkeeper's perspective, the decision therefore does not come down to a question of „do I have to”, but rather „is it worthwhile for me to enter the system and how to do it in such a way that it does not paralyse the operation of the shop”. 

Does a small shop have to accept covered packaging?

No, if it has a sales area of up to 200 m², there is no statutory obligation to collect deposit packaging. However, such a shop can join voluntarily. This is a very important distinction, as in 2026 many small shop owners are already operating in an environment where the system is visible to customers, but not every shop is formally obliged to collect. The Ministry also emphasises that the operators of the system are expected to provide at least one collection point in each municipality, so the small shop is not left alone as the only return location in the area. From a business point of view, voluntary entry into the system can be beneficial where a shop competes on convenience and locality, but it requires prior preparation of space, staff and customer service procedures. 

How do you prepare your shop for manual packaging collection?

In a small shop, manual collection will most often be more feasible than installing a bottle machine. Official sources confirm that collection can take place both automatically and manually by shop staff. In practice, this means that a few basic elements need to be prepared: designating a place to receive the packaging, setting up temporary storage, training employees to recognise the system's markings and preparing simple messages for customers. It is also important to remember that the customer can retrieve the deposit without showing a receipt, and that the packaging should not be crushed, as it must retain the clear system markings. For a small shop, this means setting up clear rules at the counter: what packaging is accepted, in what condition and where it is put away for further collection. The simpler the procedure, the less risk of queues, disputes with customers and chaos among staff. 

What should a small shop watch out for operationally in 2026?

The biggest risk for the small shop is not in the acceptance of packaging itself, but in the underdeveloped organisation. The customer can return the packaging at any collection point, and small shops that have voluntarily joined the system must be ready to accept labelled packaging according to the operator's rules. The Ministry also reminds that the deposit can only be recovered for packaging with the scheme's mark, so staff must be able to distinguish between packaging that is included in the scheme and that which is not. In practice, a small shop should still answer four questions before making a decision: whether it has space to put the packaging away temporarily, whether the team can cope with handling returns at peak times, whether customers in the area will realistically use the point and whether the cooperation model with the operator will be organisationally viable. This is what distinguishes good preparation from entering the system „on a trial basis”, which quickly ends in a mess.

If you run a small grocery shop and want to assess whether a voluntary entry into the deposit scheme will be of organisational and business benefit to you, it is worth preparing your procedure in advance of the seasonal increase in returns. For details, see Contact on the site where you can describe the specifics of your shop and match the scope of support to the real needs of your establishment.