Germany faces challenges with deposit and reusable packaging systems

Germany's deposit and reusable packaging systems face significant implementation challenges. Despite a 2023 mandate requiring restaurants and hotels to offer reusable containers for takeaway items, adoption remains low. In 2023, the reusable share in gastronomy was only 1.5 percent, and 1.7 percent in the hotel sector.

In the retail sector, a phenomenon known as ‘Pfandschlupf’ (deposit slip) occurs when consumers fail to return bottles or cans, often due to machine errors or items being discarded in trash bins. This results in retailers retaining millions of euros in unclaimed deposits. The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu) estimated that between 2003 and 2015, over 3.5 billion euros in unredeemed deposits went to the industry.

Additionally, the high volume of returns has caused social friction. Consumers have reported long queues at supermarket return machines, particularly when individuals attempt to return large quantities of waste at once, leading to tensions in retail environments.