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

step towards turning people away from their “throw-away mentality”. The deposit on
cans and one-way bottles has reduced the littering of streets, public places and
landscapes with drinking bottles.
Figure 17-1: Reusable vs. One-way Containers
Source: German Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) 2006, Texte 15/08
Note: ecologically-unfriendly one-way packaging = yellow
ecologically-friendly one-way packaging = blue
reusable packaging = green
17.6 Implementation Costs
In 2006 discounters estimated that they will have to pay in total at least €1.315
billion until 2010 for the take back-system for one-way-bottles (65 million Euro for
administrative costs, 500 million Euro for simple reverse vending machines, 750
million Euro for elaborated reverse vending machines). 381 However, these discounters
sell one-way-bottles very profitably to the tune of about €400 million per annum. The
cross-subsidisation they use comprises saved fees for the DSD, i.e. manufacturer and
distributors of drinks packaging for which deposits have to be charged are exempted
from the collection duties and fees under the Dual System for packaging (see Art. 9
para 3 Packaging Ordinance), profit from selling the raw material of the PET-bottles
and any unredeemed deposits. 382 A joint evaluation of the Federal Ministries of
Environment and Economics calculated that the deposit system costs less than one
Euro cent per package, taking into account set up and operating costs.
381 EUWID from 14.02.2006, p. 2.
382 EUWID from 30.01.2007, p. 5.
345
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes