An amendment last November on the law of environmental fees prescribed the government to issue a decree on reusable packaging materials before the end of March. However, in the last week of March, the draft proposal was still being circulated among the various ministries involved in the issue.

Currently, only one out of every ten bottles of beverages are filled into refillable bottles. This ratio is against an estimated rate of more than 70% in the early 1990s. The new regulation is expected to affect only those stores that collect refillable bottles.

Out of the several thousand companies required to pay packaging fee, 1,254 have joined ÖKO-Pannon Kht., which handles collection of waste materials, thus having escaped the requirement to pay the compulsory fee. While ÖKO-Pannon says selective garbage collection helps prevent the environment, several green NGOs say it is also crucial to prevent creation of garbage, which can be achieved through refillable packaging.