New deposit system in Austria: bottles and doses in focus!

New deposit system in Austria: bottles and doses in focus!

From January 1, 2025, a revolutionary disposable deposit system for plastic beverage bottles and doses come into force in Austria. The measure aims to significantly increase the recycled quota in order to make the EU specifications fairer that prescribe a recycling rate of at least 50 percent by 2025. Currently, only about 25 percent of the plastic packaging waste is recycled, which gives rise to concern. The new system demands a deposit of 25 cents from the consumers for every purchase that is repaid when returning the empty packaging. People who want to return the deposit can do this wherever they bought the packaging, except on machines or by deliverers. It is important that the packaging is unexpected and empty, so that the recycling can run smoothly, as [meinzirk.at] reported.

EU regulations and their effects

At the same time, the EU is discussing new regulations to reduce packaging waste and promoting the circular economy. With 476 to 129 votes, the parliament has decided to reduce the amount of waste and at the same time restrict certain forms of packaging. From 2030, a number of disposable packaging made of plastic, for example for fresh fruit and vegetables, will be banned. The new provisions also determine that the proportion of empty space may be a maximum of 50 percent for packaging. The goal is clear: less packaging waste and more reusability, especially for beverage packaging. By 2029, 90 percent of all one -way beverage containers made of plastic and metal must be collected separately, which should massively increase the recyclability, as [Europarl.europa.eu] indicate.

Both measures are part of a more comprehensive commitment of the EU and Austria to counteract the growing amount of packaging waste and to protect the environment. The new guidelines ask consumers to use their own containers for food and drinks, which should lead to a further reduction in disposable packaging. In addition, a ban on certain harmful chemicals is introduced in food packaging, which is a further step to improve consumers' health in Europe. With the combination of these strategies, a more sustainable future is sought to drastically reduce waste production and protect the resources of the earth.