According to a survey by the German Environmental Aid, 120 cities in Germany have signaled interest in introducing a municipal tax on single-use packaging. The results of the survey, conducted over the past two years, were reported by the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Tuesday editions).
Almost 50 cities have also indicated that they will wait for the outcome of a constitutional complaint before making a decision. Just a few days ago, the Karlsruhe court ruled that the packaging tax in Tübingen is in line with the German Constitution.
The head of the German Environmental Aid, Barbara Metz, is now hoping that more cities will follow Tübingen’s example and introduce a similar tax. “The daily sight of littered streets, squares and parks in cities is a constant annoyance and a burden on the environment” she said. While the federal government remains inactive, cities and municipalities can now take action against single-use waste on their own.
“Thanks to the court’s decision, companies can finally be held responsible for their single-use waste and more environmental justice can be achieved” Metz said. She called on citizens to name their city or municipality, so that the German Environmental Aid can submit a joint application for the introduction of the tax.
“Every additional municipal single-use packaging tax will increase the pressure on the federal government to introduce a nationwide single-use tax” Metz said. She expects the cities that have already expressed interest to take a serious approach and introduce packaging taxes.