Brewers seek to hike deposit on two-way beer bottles

Germany | It is a confusing system. Why do retailers charge a deposit EUR 0.25 (USD 0.28) for beverage containers that can be returned for recycling, whereas beer bottles that are returned to be refilled only command a deposit of EUR 0.08 (USD 0.09)? The explanation is to do with who determines the deposit.

In the case of one-way bottles, it is the lawmakers, who do not want consumers to buy them in the first place because they add to garbage. Hence the penalty, aka the higher deposit. In the case of two-way beer bottles it is the brewers, wholesalers and retailers, who regard the deposit as basically a handling fee.

The Bavarian Brewers Association has long considered the deposit on two-way beer bottles too low … as do consumers who prefer to dump their bottles rather than turn them in.

It is certainly not enough to cover the purchase of new bottles, which cost about EUR 0.13 each. Germany’s generic beer bottle pools bear testimony to this. During the summer, there is often a shortage, and the bottles that do go around show their age. That is because it is up to breweries to voluntarily contribute new bottles to the generics’ pool. If they refrain from doing do, there is nothing the others can do.

German brewers will now engage in discussions with wholesalers and retailers to hike the deposit, well aware of the hurdles they face. Most likely German retailers will prove the biggest obstacle. It is a given that they benefit the most from two-way beer bottles that are not returned. It is plainly not in their economic interest that the deposit goes up.   

Saving the planet is a tough job, it seems.