Producers who started their activities before 1 January 2024 have until 31 December 2024 to register. Only producers commencing their activities after 1 January 2024 are required to register immediately from that date onwards. The duty to pay the levy will also apply by law from 2024, regardless of whether and when a company registers.
The delay will also have no effect on those entitled to claim. The required registration for reimbursement from 2025 still leaves sufficient time until the first benefit notification has to be submitted.
From 2024, manufacturers of to-go food containers, tobacco filters and certain other single-use plastic products will be subject to increased manufacturer responsibilities. This will require them to contribute to the costs of public waste collection, cleaning and disposal in public areas, as well as waste consulting services. The details of how these costs are to be borne are governed by the Single-Use Plastics Fund Act.
Who is the Single-Use Plastic Fund aimed at?
From 2025, affected manufacturers who provide or sell certain single-use plastic products on the market for the first time pay into the Single-Use Plastic Fund, depending on product type and mass. Cities and communities as well as other legal entities governed by public law can report their collection or cleaning activities and other reimbursable services to the UBA. The funds collected are then distributed to the beneficiaries on a pro rata basis.
What role does the UBA play?
The UBA manages the Single-Use Plastics Fund as well as the register for manufacturers and beneficiaries digitally via the single-use plastics platform DIVID. Starting in 2025, the UBA will determine the levy that manufacturers must pay, as well as the amounts to be paid out to cities, communities and other beneficiaries. Furthermore, the UBA is responsible for classifying single-use plastic products, determining the type of product and identifying whether someone is a manufacturer as defined by the Single-Use Plastics Fund Act.
What are the functions of the DIVID online platform?
DIVID enables the UBA to digitally process all registrations and payments from the estimated 56,000 manufacturers subject to the levy and to distribute the funds to an estimated 6,400 beneficiaries each year. As such, the platform is the central instrument for fund-related communication between external users and the UBA as well as for the associated internal administrative processes. It enables the proper collection and distribution of the annual fund volume of around 430 million euros.
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