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900,000 tonnes of plastic waste is produced in Austria every year, and the one million mark will be surpassed by the end of the year. Too much, says Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, and at the beginning of September she presented a 3-point plan against “plastic flooding”, which includes a deposit system for plastic bottles.
The deposit system should now arrive faster than expected: heute.at reports that a solution is already in sight in the negotiations. And the happy reports from Greenpeace and Global 2000 also indicate that the plans are already quite concrete.
Retailers are reportedly required to be compensated for their expenses through a “handling fee” for each container returned. Exceptions should be possible for small retailers, for example not having to install machines in their stores.
The deposit system could not only register plastic bottles, as KURIER learned, but also cans. But that is still a matter of negotiation. It is also unclear how high the deposit per bottle should be.
However, there is a brake on the part of the Chamber of Commerce and the union: they reject the plans, it is not possible to speak of an agreement, it says there.
Prescription tank
In response to a request from KURIER, the Environment Ministry only confirms that “intensive negotiations” are taking place. You don’t want to commit to a schedule.
The amendment to the Waste Management Law (AWG) will be evaluated in mid-October. This will contain a detailed authorization for the Minister to issue ordinances. And the depository system should also look at such regulation.
Regarding the course of the negotiations: The Greens and ÖVP are said to have already discussed the framework, Green Minister Gewessler started talks with beverage manufacturers, supermarkets and waste disposal companies. The following are representatives of civil society, as well as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.
Reusable Quota Request
Next week, for example, the environmental organization Global 2000 is invited to the ministry to present its ideas, confirms its resource spokesperson Lena Steger in an interview with KURIER.
Global 2000 advocates a “central system” for transparent recording of cash flows and resources. The goal is to prevent large beverage manufacturers from overly demanding recycled material. Additionally, the organization requires a reusable fee and a manufacturer fee for plastic packaging.
Also, Greenpeace: The dump only allows one-way beverage containers to be collected and recycled separately, but even more important is the switch to reusable bottles so there is less waste overall.
A reusable fee is also part of Minister Gewessler’s three-point plan. The share of reusable packaging is currently around 19 percent; by 2023, it will increase to 25 percent and by 2030 at least 55 percent.
Wirtschaftsbund warns about the fate of the cash register
The Wirtschaftsbund reacted “concerned” to the media reports. “The crown crisis hit our companies hard. With the right measures, the government caused a resurgence of the economy in the difficult situation,” says Carmen Jeitler-Cincelli, member of the National Council of the ÖVP, who suspects that these successes They are now “for the Vienna election campaign and the supposed successes” could be sacrificed.
“If we harass our entrepreneurs with additional burdens, such as a deposit system, the mood could change.” Remember the introduction of the cash register obligation. “Some politicians have not recovered from that.”
High cost burden
The reaction of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce is even harsher: Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf affirms that “there is no talk of an agreement with the economy on the deposit of beverage containers”.
“We need a sensible solution here and not a politically and ideologically motivated snapshot.” He also suspects that the jubilation is related to the Vienna elections.
The WKÖ has developed a “ten point plan” that takes into account all interests and aims at profitability. “Now just going through a deposit system on the fly is not only unreasonable, but also the most expensive way.”
A depot model costs at least € 60 million a year, says WKÖ General Kopf. This burden would have to be borne by consumers, retailers, and producers together. The consequences would be higher prices for beverages and the end of small local suppliers.
Gewessler’s plan is also “categorically rejected” by the grocery trade: The warehouse threatens local supplies, according to a broadcast. According to calculations by the trade association, the deposit system would cost 10,500 euros per company per year.
The collection rate should increase to 90 percent.
The plastic collection rate is around 70 percent in Austria, the 90 percent rate targeted by the EU has already been met in Burgenland, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, according to ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria). In Vienna it is only 34 percent. What to add: In Vienna, all residual waste is used for district heating, including special and environmentally friendly filter systems.
In Austria, only 25 percent of plastic waste is recycled, the rest is burned. According to the European Council decision, member states will make a contribution of 80 cents per kilogram of non-recycled plastic packaging from 2021.
That means: if the recycling fee is increased (according to Gewessler’s plan, through the deposit), Austria has to pay less tax.
