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Hungary: a MOHU return mark for drinks, not a national sorting panel
Hungary requires covered beverage containers in the mandatory return system to carry prescribed MOHU identification, a registered barcode and the applicable refund value. Those duties have operated since 2024. They apply to covered drinks containers. They are not a sorting label for all Hungarian packaging. Harmonised Union labels apply later under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
The question this report answers
Hungary’s mandatory deposit-return system is fully operative and creates a specific on-pack requirement for covered beverage containers. Government Decree 450/2023 establishes the system. MOHU’s technical guidance specifies the applicable mark, barcode treatment, dimensions, contrast and clear space. For non-reusable containers the statutory redemption fee is HUF 50. Reusable containers participate under a related marking system with the refund amount set by the producer. The scheme began on 1 January 2024, with a transition that made compliant registration and marking necessary for new market placements from 1 July 2024.
The DRS mark identifies a return route. It is not a universal Hungarian sorting symbol, and it does not prove broader recyclability. The requirements apply principally to beverage containers from 0.1 to 3 litres made of plastic, metal or glass, subject to exclusions such as milk and milk-based drinks and limited small-producer relief. Packaging outside that system remains subject to Hungary’s concession-based waste and EPR rules, which are registration, fee and reporting duties rather than a consumer sorting panel.
Legal status at a glance
| Requirement | Status | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory-return-system logo | mandatory | Covered non-reusable and reusable beverage containers must carry the applicable prescribed return-system mark. |
| Registered GTIN or barcode | mandatory | The product identifier submitted during registration must be readable by the return system. |
| Deposit value | mandatory | Non-reusable covered containers carry the statutory HUF 50 redemption fee. Reusable containers use the producer-set amount under the system rules. |
| Universal Hungarian sorting label | none | The DRS artwork does not extend to packaging outside the return system. |
| PPWR harmonised material label | adopted; not yet applied | Union law. Applicable on the later Article 12 timetable. |
What MOHU requires on a covered container
Covered products must be registered with MOHU before market placement. The registration process connects the product, package dimensions and barcode to the return infrastructure. Non-reusable containers carry the mandatory-return logo and the HUF 50 fee indication in the approved configuration. Reusable containers use the applicable reusable mark, the registered identifier and the producer’s return value. Annex 1 and MOHU’s visual guide control the mark. It has minimum-size, contrast and clear-space requirements and must remain legible on the filled package. A new GTIN or system-compatible barcode is required where the scheme specifications call for Hungarian market identification. Stickers and over-labelling that compromise scanner recognition, or that obscure other mandatory product information, take the pack outside the system the decree contemplates.
A pack is not compliant merely because it bears a visually similar logo. Registration, sample review where required, barcode data and payment obligations are integral to the system. The producer placing a covered beverage product on the Hungarian market is responsible for product registration and compliant packaging. For imported goods this is commonly the Hungarian importer or first domestic distributor, although a foreign seller can assume relevant obligations in particular supply models. Retailers and return-point operators have separate collection and refund duties.
What the mark does not do
Hungary’s broader concession-based waste system and EPR rules create registration, fee and reporting duties for packaging outside the DRS. Those financial and organisational obligations do not establish a mandatory consumer sorting panel. Voluntary symbols should describe material and collection conditions accurately and should not imitate the controlled return-system mark. Misleading voluntary statements can be addressed separately under consumer-protection law. MOHU administers the system and product registration. Hungarian authorities enforce the governing waste legislation. Non-registration, missing or unreadable package identification, and failure to collect or refund deposits can lead to scheme and statutory consequences.
The PPWR generally applies from 12 August 2026. Harmonised material-composition labels start later under Article 12, after the relevant implementing act and statutory lead time. The existing MOHU mark remains the controlling DRS identifier during the transition unless official instructions provide otherwise. From 12 February 2027, Article 12(9) confines identification of EPR participation to a digital carrier. That rule is about EPR identification. It is not a repeal of the Hungarian return mark.
Primary sources and verification
Hungary. Government Decree 450/2023 (X. 4.) on the deposit-return system. National legislation database
MOHU. Mandatory deposit-return marking guide. Official visual guide
MOHU. Product-registration information for DRS packaging. Registration guidance
National Tax and Customs Administration. DRS commencement information. Authority notice
European Union. Regulation (EU) 2025/40. EUR-Lex
Hungarian-language legislation and current MOHU specifications control. Last verified: 21 August 2026.