| Title | Intended and unintended effects of statutory deposit return schemes for single-use plastic bottles. Lessons learned from the German experience |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 20474 |
| Authors | Rhein, S; Sträter, KF |
| Title | Intended and unintended effects of statutory deposit return schemes for single-use plastic bottles. Lessons learned from the German experience |
| Year | 2021 |
| Published | Gaia-Ecological Perspectives For Science And Society, 30, 4 |
| Abstract | High levels of environmental pollution and low recycling rates have triggered a debate on deposit return systems for single-use beverage containers (BCs) within the European Union. In 2003, Germany stat u torily implemented a deposit for single-use BCs, which operates alongside a historically grown deposit system for multi-use bottles. The long-standing German practice can be used as a source of relevant experiences. These experiences show that the introduction of a single use deposit is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it caused an increase in return and recycling rates of single-use BCs. On the other hand, there were unintended effects on the long-standing multi-use system and, thus, on the endeavor to implement a circular economy where reduction and reuse are prioritized rather than recycling. It seems that the introduction of a single-use deposit system promotes a narrow mode of thinking and a focus on recycling, which hinders the revitalization of multi-use BC systems. The EU's debate on single-use deposit lacks critical consideration of such unintended effects. The discussion of the German experiences might help to avoid unintended effects that hinder the establishment of a circular economy. |
| https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.30.4.8 |
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