Federal Council approves special levy for single-use plastics

On 31 March 2023, the German Bundesrat approved the special levy for manufacturers of certain single-use plastics that had been passed by the Bundestag. This means that the law can probably come into force in April as planned.

The regulation, which transposes Article 5 of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/904) into national law, stipulates that producers of single-use plastic products must register as of 2024 and pay a special levy into a fund as of 2025, depending on the respective quantity of single-use plastic products placed on the market – for example beverage cups, plastic bags, and food packaging, but also tobacco filters and balloons.