The EU Single Use Plastics Directive requires member states to introduce regulations on extended producer responsibility for distributors of single-use plastic products (SUP), among other things. This includes, in particular, the obligation to register and report quantities as well as financial participation in the disposal costs of the waste produced. Austria, Germany and the Netherlands have already issued national regulations to implement this directive.
Austria is used here as an example to illustrate how an EU member state implements the volume reporting obligation at national level.
Since the beginning of 2023, there has been a legal obligation to report quantities of single-use plastic products and packaging, also known as "Single Use Plastics" (SUP).
Distributors of these products in Austria must submit this report once a year by 15 March of the following year (for the first time by 15 March 2023 for the calendar year 2022) and send it to the collection and recycling systems in accordance with Section 21a (1) VerpackVO 2014. Please note that the volume report for 2022 was free of charge. From 2023, standardised surcharges will be levied for reporting in accordance with the Packaging Ordinance.
The purpose of this levy, also known as the littering levy, is to compensate for land clearing and clean-up operations necessitated by improper disposal of the packaging in question.
The regulations apply to a wide range of products, which are specified in Section 21a (1) of the Packaging Ordinance 2014:
Beverage cups
Rigid or flexible food packaging
Beverage containers (PET beverage bottles, other beverage bottles, Tetrapak, etc.)
Wet wipes
Balloons
Fishing gear
Tobacco products (filter weight)
Do you have any further questions? We would be happy to advise you.
