Someone in the kitchen squints at the machine’s screen and does the maths out loud. The drink costs this much, yet the total is a little more. “Is the machine tipping itself?” No. That is the bottle deposit, or more precisely the deposit on packaging that is part of the Polish deposit system. On Alnos Vending machines it is shown separately from the product price.
This is not a lecture on the whole packaging law. It covers one place: the machine at your company, and what the person buying water on their break actually sees.
The bottle deposit: what it covers on a machine
The deposit system covers packaging that carries the deposit-system mark. On a vending machine that means drinks in single-use plastic bottles up to 3 litres and in metal cans up to 1 litre. Reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres carry a deposit too. We tailor the range to the site, so which of these end up on the shelves depends on what we agree.
A cup from the coffee machine is not part of the deposit system. The coffee has its price, and that is that. The deposit applies to bottles and cans from the snack machine and from the vending cooler.
Two numbers instead of one
One figure would be simplest. Tidy for the screen, worse for the buyer, who cannot tell what the drink costs and what comes back when the packaging is returned. So we do the opposite. The Products page says it in one sentence: the deposit on packaging in the deposit system (bottles and cans) is shown separately, outside the product price.
In practice the screen, or the label next to the product, shows three lines:
- the drink price without the deposit,
- the deposit as its own line,
- the total to pay.
We give no amounts here. Prices are set by Alnos Vending, and the deposit amount comes from the law, not from our price list. The deposit is not part of the drink price and should never quietly disappear into it.
Where the deposit comes back (hint: not at the machine)
The machine sells drinks. It does not take empties. The deposit is refunded at shops and collection points that take back packaging in the deposit system, when the bottle or can has a readable deposit mark and barcode. No receipt is needed.
We cover the empty bottle in more detail in the guide on the drinks machine at work. One tip is enough here: do not peel the label off, because the mark and the barcode must stay readable.
The notice by the machine
Alnos Vending puts the notice about returning packaging in the deposit system at the point of sale: on the machine or on the label next to the product. The packaging rules require it. You do not have to print sheets of paper and tape them to the cooler.
If someone on the team asks where to take the bottle back, the answer is right there. And if the notice peels off or goes missing, let us know on the number on the label: +48 84 300 10 10.
The notice is for everyone, including visitors who do not know how the deposit system works.
What the deposit does not change
The deposit does not change how people pay. Payment is cashless; we confirm the details when we set the machine up. There is no coin slot, so nobody gets change in coppers.
It does not change who does what either. Alnos Vending places, refills and services the machine, and the scope is in the contract. We tailor the range to the site, including which drinks in bottles and cans go on the shelves. The machines stand indoors only, and we work in Zamość, Lublin and Rzeszów.
Screen, label and the team’s questions
On the snack machine, the three lines appear on the 49″ screen when someone picks a drink. In the vending cooler, where products are taken from the shelf by hand, the same split is on the label next to the product. One rule; only the place where you see it changes.
A few questions someone on the team will ask sooner or later:
- “What if I throw the bottle in the normal bin?” The deposit only comes back when the packaging is returned. A binned bottle refunds nothing.
- “Do I have to return it where I bought it?” No. Any shop or collection point that takes back packaging in the deposit system will do.
- “Is the deposit part of the price?” No. It sits on its own line, outside the product price.
A box for empties in the office can help collect packaging that someone then returns, but that is the office’s business, and the machine does not help with it. The box is not a collection point: the deposit is refunded only when the packaging is returned at a shop or collection point. Packaging thrown in a bin gets no deposit back.
Before anyone does the maths out loud again
Two numbers on a screen look less elegant than one. In exchange, nobody has to guess what they are paying for. If you would like to talk about a drinks machine, email hello@alnosvending.pl, call +48 84 300 10 10, or send a Golden Ticket. It is the machine enquiry form, not a prize draw. One form, one conversation about the place.