Drinks: reusable bottles end up in the trash – debate about Pfandhöhe

Empty beer and lemonade bottles are increasingly part of the cityscape in Germany. The Stadtwerkeverband VKU and several urban disposal companies observe that empty reusable bottles, which mostly cost 8 to 15 cents pawn, are increasingly lagging behind as garbage in public space. This was announced by the Berlin Association, which represents around 1,600 municipal members of various industries.

On request, the municipal waste disposal companies in Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf also report that the glass reusable bottles stop more often. “We can confirm that, in particular, reusable glass bottles with a small pledge of eight cents are increasingly left in public space,” says Hamburg City Cleaning. This is particularly evident after street festivals and picnic weekends.

In Munich there is a trend towards more left -handed bottles, especially at events, according to the building department. The city cleaning Berlin and the Stuttgart waste management, on the other hand, do not report any increases.

Bottles land in waste incineration plants

In many cities such as in Hamburg, the bottles left behind are burned, as the waste disposal companies announced. The bottles are often damaged or dirty. Also, it is hardly possible to collect and return the bottles in terms of time. According to the VKU, the fact that bottles are left behind is due to the fact that the reusable deposit has not been adjusted for decades.

Disposal: return does not appear worthwhile

The reusable deposit for normal glass beer bottles is eight cents. The amount had arisen from the old 15 pfennigs during the euro conversion. In contrast to the disposal deposit (25 cents), the deposit is not based on a legal requirement. Instead, the beverage economy has agreed on the system and the deposit height. This is discussed.

The spokesman for the Working Group on Working Group, Tobias Bielenstein, sees no reason in Germany: the pawn height has been stable for decades because no changes were necessary. The return rate is around 98 to 99 percent. The few bottles that stopped in cities are not a problem for the reusable system. The working group is an association of environmental organizations and the beverage economy.

The VKU, on the other hand, points out that the value of the deposit has dropped over time due to inflation. “For many consumers, the return of reusable glass bottles therefore no longer appears worthwhile,” said the association. Path collectors also avoid the bottles because of the lower value and the higher weight. This observation confirms waste disposal company.

Demand for reform – also for boxes

The VKU demands that the economy should agree to increase the bottle and box deposit. If this does not succeed, politics must set a minimum height. A company that has been working for a pandering increase for years is Fritz-Kola from Hamburg. The co-founder of Fritz-Kola, Mirco Wolf Wiegert, proposes 20 to 25 cents pawn per bottle.

The Association of Private Breweries Germany, which represents small and medium -sized companies, also wants an increase in a pander. The breweries lose bottles and boxes, said federal manager Roland Demleitner. It is cheaper for dealers to melt a few boxes instead of bringing them back to breweries across the country. However, the changeover could only exist if the industry is some.

Brauer-Bund: 20 or 25 cents is not very well thought out

But it does not look like that at the moment: important associations of the beverage economy reject a reform. Most of the members of the German Brewer Association are about an increase in pikes, said managing director Holger Eichele. His association also represents the big breweries, such as the Bitburger group.

Eichele criticized: “It is not very well thought out to request deposit rates for reusable bottles of 20 or 25 cents in the future.” A new bottle costs about 20 to 21 cents. If a new bottle were cheaper than the deposit, it would be cheaper for breweries to buy new bottles instead of collecting and cleaning the old ones. A changeover is also complicated, must take place on a deadline and lead to high costs that small breweries could over debize.

The Association of German Mineral Fountain with around 150 member companies also rejects a change. The Federal Association of the German Beverage Sleeper Trade, which represents around 450 companies, is also against an increase.

Higher bottle deposit in Austria

What seems complicated in Germany has already happened in Austria: on February 2, the deposit of a 0.5 liter glass bottle rose from 9 to 20 cents. The Association of Austria had also justified the step by the fact that around six percent of the surrounding beer bottles had ended up in the old glass, in the residual waste or in the landscape.

On the effects in Austria, a association spokesman said: “After our observation, consumers deal with beverage packaging material more carefully.” However, there are no numbers.

And how will the debate continue in Germany? Bielenstein, the spokesman from the Working Group on Working Group, appeals, this European and not nationally. He speaks for cross -border rules. The new EU packaging regulation, which strengthens reusable packaging, is reason to talk about it. “It’s a discussion that starts now.”