28.11.2018.
A regional informative workshop was held today in the Split County Chamber for the entities (persons) subject to fees and charges in the packaging waste management system. The fee charging and collection system, as well as the waste management system, is managed by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. In order to explain the legal obligations related to the reporting of data on the quantities of packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and devices, the Fund has been cooperating for some time with the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts in organising regional workshops.
Although the legislation governing the system of payment of fees and charges has been in place since 2006, the public is still uninformed about who are the entities (persons) obliged to pay the fees and charges, and what their duties are. “This is our second workshop in Split aimed at the entities (persons) obliged to pay the fees and charges, and I am pleased to see such great interest in getting the information about their duties, and about the manner in which they have to report to the Fund about the packaging, i.e. their products. The producer of a product is a legal or natural persons – craftsman, who is professionally involved in the development, manufacturing, processing, treatment, sale, introduction, import, or marketing of products and/or installations and/or equipment. It has to be noted that the term ‘producer’ implies an introducer from EU countries, importer from third countries and producers in Croatia”, said Renata Pavković, head of the Unit for determining and calculating charges.
It was also mentioned that the entities (persons) subject to fees and charges have to register in the Fund’s database by submitting the prescribed form, pursuant to the regulations governing the respective fee. In the case of import/introduction/sales of beverages in the deposit system (PET, glass, FE cans, AL cans with a volume greater than 0,2l), it is necessary to fill in and submit to the Fund the requested data before the first-time marketing of products.
“It is often misunderstood who is liable to pay the packaging fee in the case of take-out from pizza places and restaurants, or in the case of coffee shops offering coffee to go. In both cases, the catering business is liable to pay the charge for cardboard or plastic boxes, and coffee cups at the moment they place their products in the packaging container”, explained Ida Stipetić from the Unit for determining and calculating charges.
In the case of export/taking a product out from the country, the producer importer/introducer who on the occasion of import, introduction or production, paid the fee to the Fund, is entitled to a refund of that fee in the case of exporting the product. In the case of all waste management fees and charges, in order to be able to exercise the right to a refund, it is necessary to submit the completed prescribed form, and to attach the mandatory evidence documents thereto.
When it comes to the labelling of the packaging, Žarko Dukić from the Department for analysis and reporting, mentioned the Ordinance on packaging and waste packaging and its Article 13, explaining the manner of properly marking the packaging of a product, and of beverage packaging taking into account the deposit system, i.e. the obligation to mark the return packaging.
At the end of the workshop, the participants were addressed by inspector Trpimir Vulić from the Zadar Customs office, who underlined the importance of compliance with all regulations considering the stipulated fines for any violations of these legal provisions.
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