Consumption continues to increase: packaging waste quantity in Germany continues to rise

Consumption continues to increase
Packaging waste quantity in Germany continues to rise

The Take-away coffee, the dinner from the delivery service, the yoghurt in small single portions and the new Jeans on the net ordered – which is convenient, but produces waste. Also in 2018, were consumed in the packaging.

The consumption of packaging in Germany continues to increase. 2018, the waste quantity rose again to a record 18.9 million tons were produced, such as the German Federal environment Agency announced.

Mathematically, the 227,5 kg per capita and, thus, again a Kilo more than in the previous year. Private consumers were at it again with a share of 47 percent. They produced about 8.9 million tons of packaging waste or 107.7 kilos per head a per cent more than in 2017 and all the 20.6 percent more than in 2010.

The Federal environment Agency (UBA) has, therefore, no knowledge of how the Corona-crisis on the packaging consumption has impacted the data for 2018, the latest official. “Due to the closed shops and Restaurants, is foreseen, however, that more service packages have been consumed for food and drinks,” said the authority.

Generally speaking, there is the rise in recent years, a number of reasons – besides the economic growth, consumption habits, the Trend to re-sealable packaging, dosing AIDS, and generally more elaborate closures. “These functions can help to avoid resources through targeted dosing, conserve, or food waste,” it said. “Additional functions are, however, often associated with an increasing consumption of material.” This trend of smaller portions would still, to Online shopping and to eat and Drink “to go”, so to Take away.

UBA-Director Dirk Messner warned: “packaging should be avoided before they occur at all.” Reusable cups for coffee should be the rule, and who take a meal, you should be able to do this in reusable containers. “The flood of pizza boxes and coffee cups in the garbage cans and Parks would have an end.” Manufacturers should make packaging as simple as possible, so that they are easy to recycle, and returnable packaging. “Best recycled raw materials are used to manufacture,” said Messner.

In Germany, a lot of packaging waste, it is recycled but a lot – about 69 percent, the UBA announced more. Depending on the Material, the differences are large: In the case of steel, there are 91.9 percent, in the case of aluminum 90,1, in the case of paper and cardboard 87.7% and in the case of glass 83 percent. Packaging waste of plastic was recycled in contrast, only 47.1 per cent from wood, even just to 25.3 percent.

The Figures for 2018 – for 2019, a new packaging act, which requires, among other things, higher rates of recycling and the Recycling-friendliness of packaging and financial incentives to bring. Since 2019, about the mandatory recycling rate for plastic packaging is 58.5 percent, in 2022 it rises to 63 percent. However, other bases of calculation apply for these rates than for the UBA to 2018-mentioned quotas, the related waste to all in Germany generated packaging that have been recycled within Germany or in another state.

dpa

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