International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

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International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes
requirements for good manufacturing practice and containing
less than 15 per cent alcohol or
• containing less than 50 per cent wine or wine-like products, including in
processed form.
Consequently, wine, milk and fruit-juices, for example, continue to be exempted from
the non-returnables deposit, as do packages that under the German Packaging
Ordinance are classified as ecologically advantageous. In Article 3, paragraph 4, the
Packaging Ordinance legally defines the following drinks packaging as “ecologically
advantageous”:
� Drinks carton packaging (brick packs, gable-top cartons),
� Drinks packaging in the form of polyethylene bags,
� Stand-up bags.
Furthermore so-called “individual solutions” (major discounters such as Aldi, Lidl and
Plus) were discontinued. Under the "individual solutions", discounters only had to take
back one-way drinks packaging sold by their own sales chain. Since 2006, stores that
sell drink cans, glass or plastic bottles are obliged to take back corresponding
packaging from other drinks manufacturers as well. Empty one-way bottles and cans
can be returned to any outlet where one-way packaging is sold. This regulation
effectively promotes the development of a uniform nationwide return system and this
is now in the process of being established.
As from May 2006 the deposit is compulsory for all one-way packaging from 0.1 litres
to 3 litres that is not “ecologically advantageous”. This includes all packaging of beer,
mineral water and carbonated soft drinks which are already subject to deposit. A
deposit was also introduced for non-carbonated soft drinks and alcoholic mixed
drinks, notably alcopops. The deposit is compulsory for ice tea cans just as it is for
coke or beer cans. Packaging of juices, milk and wine as well as the supposedly less
ecologically damaging packaging such as drink cartons, polyethylene tubular bags
and stand-up bags remain exempted from the deposit. The German Parliament
decides in the Packaging ordinance based, inter alia, on scientific studies of which
type of packaging is ecologically advantageous and which is not.
17.2 Reason for the Policy
The main reason for the introduction of the deposit on cans in Germany was the
failure to achieve the targeted reuse rate (72 % of the packaging of beverages had to
be reusable) over a number of years.
As a first step towards the current situation, the necessary regulation (Art. 9 Para 2 of
the Packaging Ordinance from 1998) came into force and the deposit on cans was
introduced. With this legal regulation in place, the deposit on cans now became
independent of compliance with the target reuse rate. Furthermore it was the
objective of the former German government to promote reusable drinks packaging as
a way of implementing a deepening of producer responsibility and at the same time,
strengthening the promotion of the saving of natural resources by waste prevention.
The following timetable outlines the key dates associated with the policy’s
introduction: