German environmental aid is calling on Environment Minister Lemke to allow local authorities to introduce packaging taxes to combat the flood of disposable waste

Berlin, August 22, 2022:The German Environmental Aid (DUH) and the Mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, are calling on Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke to clarify that cities and municipalities can take municipal measures against disposable to-go packaging that go beyond federal law. Raising the price of disposable tableware is one of the most effective measures against the flood of 220,000 tons of disposable to-go waste in Germany every year. The excise tax on disposable to-go crockery that came into force in Tübingen on January 1, 2022 has impressively demonstrated this on site and has given climate-friendly reusable systems a significant boost. However, many cities are deterred by the pending legal dispute between the city of Tübingen and the fast-food group McDonald's, the Tübingen example in the fight against the climate crisis, littering and wasted resources. It is therefore urgently necessary for Environment Minister Lemke to introduce incentive taxes at federal level or at least to adapt the packaging law so that municipalities are expressly permitted to fight against the flood of disposable waste.

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