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Used plastic dishes
Photo: DPA / Alexander Heinl
In the corona pandemic, restaurants and bars are closed and delivery services are booming.
However, many companies package their food in disposable plastic, and the garbage piles up.
Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) now wants to oblige restaurateurs to offer reusable packaging for all meals outside the home.
This emerges from an amendment to the packaging law that is available to her, reported the "Bild am Sonntag".
The new requirement should be introduced into the cabinet on Wednesday and also apply to the sale of coffee, reported the ARD capital studio.
However, the law will be a long time coming.
The reusable obligation should apply from January 2023 for so-called final distributors, i.e. all restaurateurs, caterers and delivery services.
Exceptions are companies with less than 80 square meters and a maximum of five employees.
According to ARD information, however, this exception does not apply to branches of large chains.
The reusable alternative should not cost any more, should not entail any loss of quality and should be clearly advertised.
However, disposable cups or containers should still be possible.
"Disposable plastic is still the rule in many restaurants, snack bars and cafés," Schulze told "Bild am Sonntag".
»My goal is for reusable to go to become the new standard.
That is why I want to oblige the catering industry to offer reusable packaging in addition to one-way packaging. "
Hotel and restaurant association criticizes the project
The general manager of the hotel and restaurant association, Ingrid Hartges, criticized the timing of the advance.
"The discussion about a reusable obligation comes at an absolutely inopportune time," she told the "BamS" with a view to the particularly severe effects of the Corona crisis on the catering trade.
»Delivery and collection services are currently the only thing that keeps the industry going.
The last thing the catering industry needs now is the prospect of additional costs and documentation requirements, «warned the head of the association.
Meanwhile, the Vice Prime Minister in Saarland, Anke Rehlinger (SPD), spoke out in favor of extending the VAT cut on food in restaurants until the end of the year.
As things stand, the tax cut from 19 to 7 percent should end on June 30th.
"The lower the value added tax becomes a farce the longer the shutdown lasts," said Rehlinger of the "BamS".
"After all, nobody can eat in closed restaurants."
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mrc / AFP / dpa