The Environment Ministry wants producers of equipment to collect and recycle half of the weight of products sold. However, according to the report of the Chief Inspectorate on Environmental Protection (GIOŚ), companies managed to collect a mere 2% of the amount last year. "This must also lead to negative effects for consumers," warned Marco Zini, managing director of Indesit Company Polska. According to experts, the recycling fee will increase to zł.100 for heavy products (such as washing machines). If producers continue to fail to improve their recycling rates, they face very heavy fines. "This can lead to an absurd situation where, for example, a fridge that costs zł.500 would be subject to a zł.100 recycling fee," said Wojciech Konecki, head of the Committee of European Producers of Household Equipment Ceced Polska. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B1) M.M.
