The city continues to levy the municipal packaging tax on disposable-to-go crockery and cutlery, which it introduced on January 1, 2022.
Since then, Tübingen residents have had to pay up to an extra 1.50 euros per takeaway meal or drink in the city area if they ask for disposable packaging. The Baden-Württemberg Administrative Court (VGH) had declared this municipal tax inadmissible a few weeks ago following a complaint by a McDonald's franchisee, arguing that waste law is a federal matter and a packaging tax cannot be levied locally. Since the city of Tübingen has appealed, the ruling of the Mannheim Administrative Court is not legally binding. Now, Tübingen's city council has decided to continue to levy the packaging tax, but not yet to assess or collect the tax for the businesses until the appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is decided. Tübingen's mayor Boris Palmer wants to change people's thinking so that less waste is produced, he says. He draws a positive balance after half a year. There is significantly less waste and most businesses are also satisfied. Praise for the Tübingen model comes from the German Environmental Aid (DUH), which welcomes the continuation of the tax as an "effective means of combating the flood of waste."
