Germany effectively recycles and reuses packaging waste

In 1991, Germany implemented the "Regulations on Packaging", which for the first time comprehensively stipulated the reuse and use ratio of discarded packaging, and forced manufacturers and distributors to be responsible for the recovery and disposal of their product packaging. In August 1998, according to practical experience, the regulations were replenished and revised. The contents included how to avoid and use packaging, how to promote the development of the packaging processing industry, and how to communicate with the EU in December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste regulations. Adapt to each other.

At present, the German government is embarking on the third edition of the “Regulations on Packaging” and plans to impose a 25 Euro bottle-cutting fee on all disposable beverages. After 13 years of packaging regulations, the basic principle has not changed: first try to avoid the generation of packaging waste, once the packaging of garbage can not be avoided, give priority to the reuse, especially the use of materials, and then consider the use of energy and the removal of innocuous .

According to different uses, Germany generally divides the packaging into transport packages that are protected from damage during the transport of the product, sales packages that contain and protect the goods, and decorative packaging. In this regard, the “Regulations on Packaging” made specific provisions on the recycling of various types of packaging and on the obligations of manufacturers and distributors.

First, sales packaging accounts for about 45% of all packaging, and it goes directly to individual consumers. For sales packaging, the Regulations stipulate that from January 1, 1993, manufacturers and distributors are obliged to collect, reuse, or use materials after consumers use them. This process does not belong to the work of the public sanitation department. . If the business fulfills its own recovery obligation, it must submit proof of the utilization ratio. In addition, if a business wants to implement its own recycling obligations without using its own hands, it can add a "binary system," which is responsible for the recycling of waste packaging. On the basis of this law, the German business community has established a corporate-owned management agency called the "Dublin binary system." For the packaging of hazardous materials, the regulations stipulate that, as of January 1, 2000, producers and operators are obligated to recover and reuse them as long as they are technically feasible and economically viable.

Second, decorative packaging is an additional packaging for sales and packaging, not for the purpose of sanitation, durability or the protection of goods from damage or pollution. The regulations stipulate that from April 1, 1992, merchants must recycle these packages, which are mostly used for aesthetic purposes. After the introduction of the regulations, many businesses decided to abandon their decorative packaging in consideration of recycling costs.

Third, transport packaging is mainly to facilitate the transport of goods, to protect the goods from damage during transportation or to ensure the safety of transportation. The conditions of December 1991 stipulated the obligation of manufacturers and marketers to recycle the packaging. After the introduction of regulations, some industries have significantly increased the proportion of transport packages that can be used multiple times.

Fourth, for beverage packaging, the Regulations emphasizes the use of reusable beverage packaging, and stipulates that the packaging of beverages that can be recycled for many times must reach 72%. If the number of beverage packages that are used more than once does not reach this proportion, the exemption from the bottle-billing fee for disposable beverage packages will be eliminated. From January 1st, 2003 onwards, in Germany, one-time packaging of mineral water, beer, and carbonated drinks such as cola and lemon must be paid for 25 Euro cents. After the customer returns the bottle, the merchant will return the deposit. The purpose of this measure is to limit disposable plastics, metal and glass packaging that are prone to environmental pollution, and to increase the proportion of beverage packages that can be reused multiple times. In October last year, with the consent of the Bundesrat, the German policy proposed a new draft of the “Regulations on Packaging”. It is planned that soon all beverages such as fruit juices, milk, and wine that are all-in-one beverages will also be levied. This amendment is expected to take effect before the end of this year.

In the "dual system", producers and distributors can obtain a permit by signing contracts and paying unequal fees, and mark the "green dot" implemented by the "dual German system" on their product packaging. With this mark, manufacturers and merchants no longer need to consider the recycling of their product packaging. The "binary system" handles all waste packaging products bearing the "green dot" mark. The agency itself does not have waste separation and utilization facilities. It has contracted with waste packaging sorting companies, which are responsible for collecting, sorting and recycling. The packaging materials handled by the packaging sorting company are re-entered into the material cycle. Become secondary raw materials or processed into recycled products. The fourth party in the "dual system" is the guarantor responsible for acceptance and use, or the manufacturer itself, or an institution established specifically for the use of secondary raw materials. These companies focus on their respective fields, such as aluminum, paper, glass, plastic or beverage boxes, to meet the utilization ratios specified in the Packaging Regulations. The guarantor is responsible for the purification of packaging materials and processing into secondary raw materials and new products. Packaging regulations have the lowest percentage of the collection and re-use of packaging products. The environmental agencies of each state are responsible for supervising and inspecting whether they meet the standards. The inspection method is the so-called flow proof, which records the collection and use of packaging products by the company.

The German "binary system" currently has approximately 18,000 customers, including beverage manufacturers, packaging manufacturers, trading companies, and importers, as well as approximately 400 partners responsible for waste packaging. The agency is not alone. Germany has similar institutions, but the scale is much smaller. There are also a small number of chain stores and other businesses to solve the recycling of product packaging.

Recycling of waste packaging products relies on the cooperation of all sectors of the society. For this reason, Germany has implemented a strict classification of domestic waste. In the waste packaging, the paper packaging is put into the blue garbage cans that are dedicated to discarded newspapers and magazines; the glass bottles and cans are put into different glass bins according to different colors; the light packaging materials such as aluminum, tin, and plastic are put into specialized yellow garbage. Barrels; Domestic garbage is thrown into brown bins and disposed of directly by the sanitation department. All kinds of packaging materials are generally sorted and then recycled into different industrial sectors.

The recycling of packaging materials marked with "Green Point" is of great benefit for saving resources and energy, protecting the environment, and reducing the burden on waste storage and incineration facilities. According to statistics, in 2003, the German waste packaging cycle saved 61.4 billion joules of natural energy, such as electricity, equivalent to 1/3 of the amount of wind power generated in Germany over the same period. In addition, about 1.32 million tons of greenhouse emissions have been reduced through recycling. In 2003, Germany recovered 5.99 million tons of packaging materials, 72.6 kilograms per capita.