By Asma’u Ahmad
The German government has presented a five-point plan for the avoidance of plastic waste which features more public water fountains, among other measures.
Germany minister for Environment, Svenja Schulze, who presented the plan on Monday in Berlin, said in cities there should be easily reachable filling stations for water bottles everywhere.
Svenja Schulze
The minister, based on the successful model of the reduction in the use of plastic bags, would like shops to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging, such as on fruit and vegetables.
Schulze does not intend to force stores to make the changes, opting instead for voluntary commitment from the industry.
Some supermarket chains are already reducing plastic waste with their own initiatives and test programmes.
Parts of the plan relate to Germany’s new packaging law that comes into force in January. “The law includes clear labelling of single-use and reusable deposit-scheme bottles, lower fees for producers of recyclable packaging and an increase in the proportion of waste that is recycled,” he said.
Report says Schulze also wants to increase demand for recycled material in the production chain and encourage the federal, state and local governments to use more recycled products.
