Reusable should become the new standard

Yesterday, the Bundestag passed the amendment to the Packaging Act, according to which all those who offer to-go drinks and take-away food must also offer their products in reusable packaging from 2023. The Federal Environment Minister wants to make reusable packaging the new standard in this area.

This obligation also applies if the food is delivered to your home by a delivery service. This is how it looks an amendment to the Packaging Act, which was passed by the German Bundestag on 6 May. In addition, the legislator is extending the mandatory deposit to all disposable plastic drinks bottles and drinks cans. From 2025, disposable PET drinks bottles are to be made of at least 25 per cent recycled plastic.

„Even after the pandemic, takeaway food will be part of everyday life for many people. The vast majority of meals and drinks are still bought in disposable packaging. Disposable packaging is also still the norm for delivered food. This leads to more and more packaging waste - both at home and in the streets and parks. My aim is therefore to make reusable packaging the new standard. Customers should be able to easily get their take-away food or to-go drink in environmentally friendly reusable cups or containers. The new obligation to offer reusable containers is already giving rise to many practical solutions, including in cooperation with delivery services. With more Reusable packaging we will effectively stem the flood of packaging, especially in the to-go sector.“ Svenja SchulzeFederal Minister for the Environment

From 2022 onwards a deposit on all disposable drinks bottles made of plastic will be mandatory. In addition, all beverage cans must then be subject to a deposit. The amendment to the law ends the previous exemptions for certain drinks in plastic bottles and cans. Previously, carbonated fruit juice spritzers, for example, were subject to a deposit, whereas non-carbonated fruit juice was not. A transitional period until 2024 applies to milk and dairy products, while drinks packaging already on the market may still be sold without a deposit until 1 July 2022 at the latest.

Reusables and deposits create functioning cycles

Schulze: „The extension of the mandatory deposit makes the deposit easier to understand for all consumers. Because in future it will simply mean: A 25 cent deposit is payable on all disposable plastic drinks bottles and drinks cans, regardless of the contents. In this way, we also ensure less environmental pollution. This is because bottles or cans with a deposit are much less likely to end up in the environment than those without a deposit. The mandatory deposit also supports high-quality recycling: plastic bottles are collected by type and can therefore be processed into new bottles more easily. How we create functioning cycles."

In addition, the amendment to the law contains numerous Regulations intended to improve the enforcement of the Packaging Act, especially with regard to imported packaging. In future, operators of online marketplaces and fulfilment service providers will have to check that the manufacturers of packaged goods on their platform in the Packaging register the Central office and have participated in a dual system.

ReCup already shows how it's done

Together with more than 7,500 cafés, restaurants, company catering outlets, petrol stations, kiosks and snack bars throughout Germany, the reusable system from the German company reCup is already demonstrating that a simple and cost-effective reusable alternative works across the board.

„We know that the catering industry is currently struggling in all areas. Our task now is to show that a reusable alternative not only avoids a lot of waste, but that restaurateurs can also actively save costs with our deposit system.“ Fabian Eckert, Managing Director of reCup GmbH

With a system fee of 25 to 45 euros per month, the costs of the system are manageable and calculable for catering providers. The reusable containers are rented from reCup in return for a deposit. Unlike with disposable packaging, there are no additional costs for the catering business.

The deposit system from reCup GmbH, which works with partners such as Shell, Alnatura, McDonalds, Aral, Sodexo, Aramarkt and Bio Company to save on disposable packaging, shows that the reusable alternative neither costs more nor leads to a loss of the to-go mentality means.

Deposit system as an accessible reusable solution

With his system the company is orientated towards the German bottle deposit system, to make it accessible to the masses as an analogue reusable system. The deposit system is easy to use and works without registration or data entry. In order to minimise the entry hurdles for both its partners and users and not to be dependent on any error-prone technology in the background, the company deliberately dispenses with registration.

SourceBMU and ReCup