Germany Aims for Drinks Can Deposit in 2003

1 de maio de 2002 English, Acervo, Curiosidades 106 Views

Reuters reports that German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin was
quoted on Friday as saying the country aimed to widen a deposit system
to encourage recycling of drinks cans from January 1, 2003.

“I have proposed to the chancellery that we introduce the obligatory
deposits on January 1, 2003. We want to decide this in cabinet this
month,” Trittin told Sueddeutsche Zeitung, according to an advance copy
of an interview due to appear in the newspaper’s Saturday edition.

It was the first time the environment ministry had indicated a firm
timetable for widening the deposit system, which already applies to
glass bottles.

The move had been expected following a court ruling last month, which
paved the way for the system to be changed. Shares in makers of can
recycling machines, such as Norway’s Tomra Systems, have been rising in
anticipation of the announcement.

Trittin said the government wanted to give retailers and industry time
to prepare for the changeover. “It is not only a question of if
necessary installing machines for taking back empties but also changing
packaging to mark the cans as bearing deposits,” He said.

Trittin confirmed it was his aim for the deposit system to also apply
to carbonated soft drinks, as well as beer. Asked by the newspaper what
he meant, he said: “Cola, Fanta, Sprite, etc. Consumers would not
understand it if we put deposits on beer cans but not cans of cola.”

Check Also

Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains

Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...

Powered by WordPress | Designed by TieLabs | Customized by I2
© Copyright 2026, All Rights Reserved to Web-Resol