{"id":76105,"date":"2023-03-07T12:49:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T11:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=76105"},"modified":"2023-03-07T12:49:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T11:49:17","slug":"disposable-plastic-fund-federal-parliament-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/einwegkunststofffonds-bundestag-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The single-use plastic fund is coming"},"content":{"rendered":"
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So now it's finalised: the single-use plastic fund is coming. A slightly amended version of the bill passed the Bundestag on 2 March and now only needs to be passed by the Bundesrat. The target start date is 2025. The German Packaging Institute, among others, has criticised the bill.<\/strong><\/p>

What is it about? As early as November 2022<\/a> the Federal Ministry for the Environment presented a draft law to establish a so-called single-use plastic fund. The law stipulates that manufacturers of single-use plastic items should contribute to the costs of waste disposal in public spaces.<\/strong> Depending on the quantity put into circulation in each case, a levy would have to be paid to one of the Federal Environment Agency<\/a> (UBA), which then distributes these funds to the municipalities. The funds will be used to finance waste management and awareness-raising measures. With this law, the German government wants to comply with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive against single-use products.<\/strong> According to the initial results of a research project by the Federal Environment Agency, the fund's annual income is estimated at up to 450 million euros.<\/p>

The view of the Ampel coalition is clear. The \u201epassed-on\u201c costs incurred by local authorities for waste disposal are a failure of the market. \u201eWe are therefore correcting this market failure and at the same time protecting the environment from littering<\/strong>, and - what I particularly like about this law - we are also supporting those who free us from the flood of plastic in our parks, on paths and in forests every day, namely our local authorities,\u201c commented Green MP Jan-Niclas Gesenhues, head of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection working group, in the Bundestag debate on the draft law<\/a> on 2 March.<\/p>

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Criticism from the dvi<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After the draft in November had already caused displeasure among the associations, the German Packaging Institute (dvi)<\/a> with harsh criticism of the project. \u201eUnfortunately, all the fears expressed by industry and its associations from the outset have materialised<\/strong>. The new levy on single-use plastic packaging for to-go food and drinks and carrier bags is anything but expedient,\u201c says Kim Cheng, Managing Director of the association.<\/p>

According to the dvi, the new tax would lead to a Double levy, because the distributors of the packaging concerned pay licence fees for the collection and disposal of their packaging anyway<\/strong>. The littering problem cannot be solved by the new levy either; in the view of the association, the law is merely a symptom control measure.<\/p>