Deposit on single-use packaging from an accounting point of view

On 1 January 2022, the provisions of Act No. 302/2019 Coll. concerning deposits on specified single-use packaging, namely plastic bottles and cans, took effect. Adherence to the deposit system, which is behind the entire process affecting packaging manufacturers, retailers (distributors) and, last but not least, customers (final recipients), should lead to a cleaner Slovakia.

This law charges the manufacturer and the distributor, among other obligations, with the task of keeping separate accounting records for the price of goods and the amount of deposit. This obligation is fulfilled by creating analytical accounts for the individual synthetic accounts used in connection with the accounting of single-use packaging that is subject to the deposit scheme.

In addition, the retailer registered as a collection point for single-use packaging, should keep records of collected single-use packaging on which a deposit is charged in a special register (off-balance sheet).

If the final recipient of such single-use packaging is an entrepreneur using the double-entry bookkeeping, is shall also record this packaging in separate analytical accounts.