The new deposit requirement will be introduced in Austria at the beginning of January 2025. This worries some companies – especially smaller ones – says the Vienna Social Democratic Entrepreneurs Association (SWV-Wien), warning of a “bureaucratic avalanche”. After the sausage stalls, tobacco shops are now also mobilizing against the regulations.
However, the situation is different at the sausage stalls. They fear that large quantities of cans and bottles will be returned – as these are usually open when supermarkets are already closed. However, at tobacconists, the small quantity is seen as a problem.
Pocket problem with smaller traffic
From 2025, companies must take back every packaging format they sell. But in tobacconists, drinks are just a by-product. In the case of a tobacconist, only a few bottles or cans could be delivered per day, an SWV spokesperson emphasized.
These should be stored in a 300 liter bag, into which the containers are then collected. But that only happens when it is full, they point out. The bag therefore remains for a long time – only sparingly filled with not always completely clean contents – in the usually very small storage areas of the tobacconists, where there is little space anyway.
Trafikant complains that the arrangement is not practical
According to the SWV, a solution would be the common delivery points at “visited places”, as provided for in the regulation. For Döblinger tobacconist Wolfgang Winkler, this is a good example of the regulation’s lack of practical relevance, as he explained. Because this is not clearly explained.
“What does ‘place visited’ mean for a tobacconist? We need to know immediately whether or not we fall under this, otherwise we will face a chaos of additional costs and regulations that we can no longer cope with,” Winkler demanded.
Call for exceptions
The SWV further reiterated its demand that bars and businesses smaller than 25 square meters be exempt from the scheme. Viennese SWV President Marko Fischer criticized: “The new regulations are nothing more than an attack on small entrepreneurs who work hard every day to survive.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
