At the end of March, the Bundesrat approved the special levy for manufacturers of certain single-use plastics passed by the Bundestag.

 

Manufacturers of certain disposable plastic articles, such as beverage cups, plastic bags, food packaging, as well as tobacco filters and balloons, will in future have to pay the special levy into a fund depending on the quantity placed on the market in each case. In this way, they are to share in the costs of the municipalities for the removal and disposal of carelessly discarded items from streets and parks. The reason given for the obligation to bear the costs is that, in the sense of extended producer responsibility, this should help to manage plastics more sustainably along the value chain, to combat littering of the environment and to promote cleanliness of public spaces. The special fund is expected to raise around 400 million euros annually. The fund is managed by the Federal Environment Agency. The background to this is Article 5 of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, which is thus being transposed into German law. The law is to come into force the day after it is promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette, and the duty to dispense and register is to apply from January 1, 2024.

 

Sources:

• Recyclingmagazin 4/2023 (April 19, 2023)
• Photo: © unsplash, Sam Kaenner