It has been almost a year since the Council of Ministers decided on a one-time deposit for plastic bottles and drinks cans from 2025. On Thursday, Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) presented the first details after a meeting of the working group on the design of the deposit system in Austria – with two board members of the “Trägerverein Einwegpfand”.
The deposit applies to all non-returnable bottles or cans, from 0.1 to 3 liters (there is an exception for milk and mixed milk drinks, however), the deposit is a uniform 25 cents and there is also the option where you put it buys from return, Gewessler explained. With the help of subsidies, they want to take small entrepreneurs into account, according to the minister.
In concrete terms, this means for the consumer that an additional investment of 25 cents per bottle is requested when purchasing. Customers get this money back when they return the glass or plastic bottle to the store. This is to prevent waste from ending up in nature (keyword: litter) – the containers can also be recycled more easily.
Environmental organisations, scientists, representatives of the federal states and municipalities, the associations for waste management, the Chamber of Commerce and companies have long been in favor of measures such as reusability or landfill. Only the Chamber of Commerce and the trade association are advocating for imminent costs.
Rethinking also at local discounters
Austrian discounters have also been refusing to introduce a deposit system and to sell drinks in refillable reusable bottles for years. Instead, they are flooding the market with disposable packaging. Recently, however, a rethink has apparently begun.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
