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Pooh? This change at Aldi, Lidl & Co. could trigger disgusting debate

2021-10-05T19:39:56.354Z


At the turn of the year there are regular nationwide legislative changes - including in January 2022. One innovation relates to plastic packaging and recycling - and is controversial.


At the turn of the year there are regular nationwide legislative changes - including in January 2022. One innovation relates to plastic packaging and recycling - and is controversial.

Two big topics have dominated the headlines in the German media for years - on the one hand the corona pandemic with its rules, ordinances and effects, and on the other hand climate protection. Fridays For Future recently held another global climate strike * and environmental protection measures also play a major role in the formation of the new coalition in the Bundestag. So it's no wonder that more and more regulations are being changed and optimized with regard to their sustainability.

As

echo24.de

* now reports, the new regulation, which according to the federal government should come into force in 2022, requires a deposit.

For many years, glass and plastic bottles as well as cans containing beverages such as water, soft drinks, juice spritzers or beer have been subject to a small surcharge that is reimbursed to the consumer as soon as the bottle or can is returned to the store.

The returned containers are then recycled and made into new, robust packaging.

But the rule was not entirely conclusive until now.

Change in the Packaging Act: A deposit will be levied on these products in future - two stages planned

After all, whether or not a deposit was paid on packaging did not depend on the material of the bottle or can, but rather on its contents. While water, cola or soda packs were subject to a deposit, the fees for smoothies or cider have not yet been paid. That probably changed as early as the middle of 2021. Because, as the Tagesschau writes, since July 3rd "a deposit has been levied on significantly more beverage packaging". This means that customers have to pay a deposit of 25 cents on products of this type - this is intended to encourage consumers to resort to reusable glass bottles more often.

Specifically, there is now no deposit on juices in plastic bottles, vegetable shots, smoothies in small plastic bottles and cans with energy drinks as well as alcoholic mixed drinks such as Smirnoff Ice or sparkling champagne varieties. But the new deposit regulation was actually only planned for January 1, 2022 - the federal government is still talking about an expansion of the deposit obligation from next year, while the

echo24.de

* editorial team has meanwhile been made aware that energy drink batches with a deposit are already available are in circulation. To what extent this regulation has been implemented across the

board

,

echo24.de

* asked the consumer

advice center

. An answer is still pending.

But even if part of the new packaging law has already been implemented - an expansion of the regulation is not to come into force in a second step for two years.

From 2024, according to the Federal Environment Ministry, there will be no more plastic bottles in German shops without a deposit.

In addition, there will be a new feature in the deposit system in 2024, which could trigger a certain disgust among consumers.

The deposit system is adjusted: A change could cause hygiene problems

We are talking about packaging for dairy products.

For example, cream bottles or buttermilk packaging should be given a deposit in two years.

25 cents are then allotted to all plastic packaging of this type. But Eckhard Heuser, the managing director of the dairy industry association, is skeptical and

criticized this plan in

relation to the

Lebensmittel Zeitung

.

"Plastic bottles for milk belong in the yellow sack and not in the reverse vending machine", Heuser grumbled.

+

There will be changes in the deposit system from 2022.

(Symbol photo)

© Lukas Schulze / dpa

But while the head of the dairy industry association with his objections is probably alluding to the prices for dairy products, which would probably rise massively as a result of the deposit regulation, without the dairy farmers seeing any of the money, the returnable bottles collected could also cause hygiene problems.

According to infranken.de, storing milk bottles that have not been rinsed out can cause germs, mold and bad smells to form as soon as the products are stored unopened and unrefrigerated in the deposit container for a long time - this can also lead to problems when recycling.

The deposit system will be gradually adapted until 2024: All changes at a glance

Nevertheless - the process can probably no longer be stopped and so in future consumers will probably only be able to rinse out their empty milk bottles in order to avoid the disgust factor.

According to

nordbayern.de

, customers

may

even be asked to roughly clean their empty bottles before giving them a deposit.

But this presumed requirement has not yet been anchored in the amendment to the Packaging Act.

The specific changes that will be made in connection with plastic packaging in the next few years are summarized here:

  • From 2022 / since July 2021:

    Packaging of fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, alcoholic mixed drinks, energy drinks, cider and apple cider are subject to a deposit of 25 cents.

  • From 2023:

    caterers and restaurants will be obliged to offer reusable containers as an alternative to disposable containers for take-away and order food and drinks.

    This change should then apply across the EU.

  • From 2024:

    A deposit of 25 cents will also be charged on the packaging of dairy products.

  • From 2025:

    PET non-returnable beverage bottles must contain at least 25 percent recycled plastic.

In general, the federal government and the EU are feeling more and more focus on climate protection.

This can also be seen in the CO2 tax and the requirements for industry.

German car manufacturers, for example, are also actively involved.

For example, Audi boss Markus Duesmann has already announced that he will no longer bring any new combustion engines to the market * from 2026 and Daimler has also announced that it will focus on electric cars * in the future.

*

echo24.de

is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

List of rubric lists: © Sebastian Gollnow / dpa

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2021-10-05

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