Reusable "to go" in Wolfratshausen on the rise

Created: 07/12/2022, 06:00

Actively promoting the reusable coffee mugs and bowls: Michaela Kunstmann (right) and her staff from the Rat.Haus.Café.

in Wolfratshausen.

© Tanja Lühr

From January, reusable packaging will be mandatory in gastronomy.

Our newspaper looked around at Wolfratshausen companies.

Wolfratshausen – At the beginning of January 2023, there will be a reusable obligation in gastronomy.

This means that caterers, delivery services and restaurants will then be obliged to offer reusable containers as an alternative to single-use containers for food and drinks to take away and order.

There should only be an exception for small businesses with a maximum of five employees and a maximum of 80 square meters of retail space.

With this provision, the federal government wants to put a stop to the constantly growing mountains of rubbish that are being created by the increasing use of take-away offers and delivery services.

Reusable "to go" in Wolfratshausen on the rise

In Wolfratshausen, a number of restaurateurs have been using reusable packaging for over a year.

"We made it our task early on to motivate them to do so," says Third Mayor Annette Heinloth (Greens), one of the initiators of the municipal campaign.

To date, nine cafés, restaurants, bakeries and petrol stations have been offering reusable packaging for “to go” food.

According to Heinloth, it was important to the city to establish as few different packaging systems as possible.

Most participants use the mint green cups and bowls from the Munich company Recup/Rebowl.

According to the company, it is the largest deposit system in Germany.

The advantage of dealing with the topic together is obvious: the more companies use the same system of deposit containers, the more likely it is that the offer will be accepted by consumers. 

Third mayor Annette Heinloth

In the Rat.Haus.Café on the Loisachufer, for example, the plastic cups – with lids if desired – and the bowls, of which there are also some with a partition, are advertised directly at the counter.

"The advantage of dealing with the topic together is obvious: the more companies use the same system of deposit containers, the more likely it is that the offer will be accepted by consumers," says Heinloth.

And the more reusable packaging is used, the more unnecessary packaging waste is avoided.

Rearranging: Katrin Schmid from Café Ratscherl in the district clinic in Wolfratshausen fills apple strudel with vanilla sauce into a rebowl to take away.

© Tanja Lühr

The newly opened Rat.Haus.Café.

has worked with Rebowl and Recup from the start.

As co-owner Michaela Kunstmann says, reusable crockery has long been commonplace in the catering establishments of Kunstmann Hotels & Food GmbH in Munich.

“In the big city we sell a lot more to go.

Here in Wolfratshausen, that's not too bad.” Food is rarely ordered to take away.

According to Kunstmann, people "prefer to sit comfortably with us".

It's different with coffee: "Our guests really like taking the cups" - for environmental reasons, but also because they are more stable than conventional paper cups and keep the drinks warm better.

The cup, which can be used several times, costs a deposit of one euro.

The issue of paper cups has been reduced in the district clinic in Wolfratshausen

With the latter, you could get a cappuccino next time, for example, at the Aral petrol station on Sauerlacher Straße, at denn's organic market, in the Weidacher Backstüberl or in Café Ratscherl in the district hospital.

One would think that many patients, visitors and employees in the hospital fall back on the reusable solution.

In fact, according to owner Rita Schmid, only 10 to 15 percent use the cups and bowls.

“The nurses and doctors often forget their drinking cups on the ward.

Then they quickly take one made of coated cardboard,” says Schmid.

Because many have a reusable container, the issue of paper cups has been greatly reduced overall.

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Schmid and her staff cook freshly every day.

That's why the take-away business is doing relatively well.

Daughter Katrin finds the Rebowl variant with the two departments particularly practical.

“Today we have apple strudel with vanilla sauce.

I fill the sauce into the extra compartment and nothing soaks through.” There is a five-euro deposit for the bowls.

Participation in the reusable system is subject to a fee for restaurateurs

Participation in the reusable system is subject to a fee for restaurateurs.

In addition, for hygienic reasons, they must have a dishwasher for cleaning.

Some gas stations, for example, have to buy them first.

Nevertheless, Schmid welcomes the law, which will come into force in 2023.

It doesn't ban cardboard, styrofoam and aluminum in principle, but it stipulates that a reusable alternative must be available.

The fact that word of environmentally friendly eating and drinking behavior still has to get around is shown in the Müller und Höflich bakery on Bahnhofstrasse.

Only about five percent of customers would order their coffee to go in reusable containers, says saleswoman Dagmar Brandl.

Among these five percent are many regular customers who come regularly with their Recup "to fill up".

"It takes time to get into people's minds.

One day, hopefully, reusable cups will be taken for granted, just as there are hardly any plastic bags in supermarkets,” says Brandl.

(Tanja Lühr)

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