Deposit on Reusable Glass Bottles Raised to 20 Cents

Deposit on Reusable Glass Bottles Raised to 20 Cents

APA/dpa/Rainer Jensen

After more than 40 years, the deposit for reusable glass bottles has been increased today from 9 cents (previously 1.2 schillings) to 20 cents. According to the Brewers’ Association, the deposit increase affects those glass bottles that are currently returned in supermarket reverse vending machines with 9 cents: This includes the classic 0.5-liter beer bottles, but also white glass bottles with screw caps, as well as many 0.33-liter glass bottles.

Since “90 percent” of these bottles are beer bottles, the Brewers’ Association initiated, negotiated, and implemented the deposit increase. “The low deposit apparently led to more and more people disposing of the bottles, thus depriving them of recycling,” said Karl Schwarz, chairman of the Brewers’ Association, recently. The association expects that the deposit increase will result in more bottles being returned.

Reusable glass bottles that end up in glass containers rather than being returned to the supermarket are missing for breweries and other beverage producers, and according to the association, they cause millions in losses for the industry. “This saves considerable resources in the energy-intensive production of glass bottles,” said Brewer Association chairman Schwarz. Reusable glass bottles can be refilled up to 40 times. “The increase in the deposit for reusable glass bottles is purely positive from our perspective,” said Florian Weins, CEO of the German beverage manufacturer fritz-kola, to APA. A deposit increase has not been successful in Germany – currently 8 cents per reusable glass bottle. “Every bottle that is not returned is a loss for the business,” said the fritz-kola CEO. A glass bottle costs the company between 12 and 20 cents.

According to a recent report in the “Standard,” the value of already stored reusable glass bottles also rose almost overnight. This made the industry nervous, the newspaper wrote last week. Therefore, the exact timing of the expected deposit increase, which was anticipated by industry experts, remained a well-kept secret until last week. “There is an agreement between retailers and manufacturers that regulates the details. We do not want to comment further,” said Spar in response to an APA inquiry.

There were apparently no major stockpiling due to the deposit increase. “The impact of the increase in the reusable deposit on the demand for corresponding containers is manageable in our markets,” said Rewe, the parent company of Billa. “Only occasionally can it happen that the demand for corresponding containers increases or fewer containers are returned.” Hofer also cannot “currently detect major fluctuations” in the demand for beer in glass reusable bottles.

Since the beginning of January, Austria has also had a deposit system for single-use plastic bottles and aluminum cans (25 cents). The deposit system applies to all single-use beverage bottles and aluminum cans from 0.1 to 3 liters, with the consumer paying 25 cents as a deposit. When returning the empty, uncrushed bottles and cans with a readable label, the money is refunded. No deposit is charged, for example, on Tetra Paks, milk and medical products, or syrup.

Until the end of March, beverage manufacturers can deliver goods without the single-use deposit label to retailers. Supermarkets and other retailers may sell the goods until the end of the year. This year, there will be a temporary coexistence of plastic bottles and cans with and without deposits. “Thanks to the transitional regulation, the majority of the packaging will only be switched over in the coming months,” said the food discounter Lidl. Customers will gradually get used to the new system.

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