Legal basis

Packaging Ordinance (Töpfer, 1991)

• There are obligations on the distributors and producers to take back and ensure the recycling of packaging;
• An alternative solution to these obligations for household packaging is the creation of a private system of collection and recycling (DSD) in collaboration with the private and public recovery companies;

Amendment to the Ordinance (in effect from 1998)

• Fix the overall target figures at 65% recovery and 45% recycling;
• Obligate self-compliers to take back and recycle packaging and fulfil the same targets as the compliance scheme;
• Obligate the compliance scheme to achieve targets in relation to the tonnage of the packaging participating in the scheme, and no longer the total packaging consumption;
• For plastics, the recovery and recycling targets can be met through a mix of technologies such as mechanical recycling (min. 60 %), feedstock recycling, and energy recovery;
• The same obligations apply to small businesses as they do to manufacturers and wholesalers.

In August 2000, May 2002, May 2005 and December 2005 further amendments came into effect.

5^th amendment to the Ordinance (in effect since January 2009)

On 1 January 2009, the 5th Amendment to the German Packaging Ordinance came into force. This obligates manufacturers and distributors of sales packages filled with goods that are typically sold to private consumers to register this packaging with a dual system.