– In the 202 cities contacted, more than 2.5 billion disposable packaging and more than 84,000 tons of CO2 could be saved annually
– DUH calls for greener procurement from cities, bids for multiple use for public events and local excise duty on one-way
– DUH calculates waste quantities and CO2 savings potential for all 202 contacted cities
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has made official applications in 202 other cities to avoid single-use plastic waste and to promote reusable plastic. In these cities alone, more than 2.5 billion single-use cups, lunch boxes, plates and cutlery could be avoided every year. This would reduce waste by 27,000 tons and save 84,000 tons of CO2. The DUH calls on the cities to take faster and more decisive action against the flood of single-use packaging waste. As part of the “Plastic-free Cities” campaign, the DUH submitted applications for less single-use plastic waste in a total of 303 cities and 29 districts.
“Because the federal government has not been doing enough in the fight against single-use waste for years, cities in particular are required to do something to counter the flood of single-use packaging. They can take action in two ways: as a legal authority and as a consumer intervene directly in the rules for events, festivals and gastronomy. In addition, they can effectively prevent single-use waste through a municipal consumption tax the Tübingen tax lawsuit, Environment Minister Lemke should ensure legal certainty in the municipalities. To this end, she must make it clear that measures to avoid waste are not finally laid down in the Packaging Act, but can also be supplemented by the municipalities’ own activities,” says DUH Federal Managing Director Barbara Metz .
The DUH announces that it will publish the results of the applications submitted so that it is clear which cities are pioneers and which are refusing to seriously implement climate and resource protection.
Reusable systems avoid waste by being refilled multiple times, ensure less waste in public spaces and are particularly climate-friendly. The nationwide use of reusable cups, lunch boxes and crockery alone would result in annual savings of around 800,000 tons of the greenhouse gas CO2 compared to disposable. In Germany, 28,000 tons of waste are generated annually from disposable cups for hot drinks and 155,000 tons of waste from disposable food containers. This corresponds to around 320,000 disposable cups and around 800,000 disposable food containers used per hour.
Background:
In July 2022, the DUH submitted formal applications to avoid single-use waste in the following 202 cities:
Baden-Württemberg:
Aalen, Albstadt, Baden-Baden, Bietigheim-Bisssingen, Böblingen, Bruchsal, Esslingen am Neckar, Fellbach, Filderstadt, Friedrichshafen, Göppingen, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Heilbronn, Kirchheim unter Teck, Lahr, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Leonberg, Ludwigsburg, Nürtingen , Offenburg, Pforzheim, Rastatt, Ravensburg, Reutlingen, Rottenburg am Neckar, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Hall, Sindelfingen, Singen, Tübingen, Ulm, Villingen-Schwenningen, Waiblingen, Weinheim
Bayern:
Amberg, Ansbach, Aschaffenburg, Bayreuth, Coburg, Dachau, Freising, Fürth, Germering, Hof, Ingolstadt, Kaufbeuren, Kempten, Landshut, Memmingen, Neumarkt, Neu-Ulm, Passau, Rosenheim, Schwabach, Schweinfurt, Straubing, Weiden in der Oberpfalz
Brandenburg:
Bernau bei Berlin, Eberswalde, Falkensee, Oranienburg
Hesse:
Bad Homburg vd Höhe, Bensheim, Dreieich, Fulda, Gießen, Hanau, Oberursel (Taunus), Offenbach am Main, Rodgau, Wetzlar
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:
Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Wismar
Lower Saxony:
Aurich, Buchholz in the North Heath, Buxtehude, Celle, Cuxhaven, Delmenhorst, Emden, Garbsen, Gifhorn, Goslar, Göttingen, Hamelin, Hildesheim, Laatzen, Langenhagen, Lehrte, Lingen (Ems), Lüneburg, Melle, Neustadt am Rübenberge, Nordhorn, Oldenburg, Osnabrück, Peine, Salzgitter, municipality of Seevetal, Stade, Wilhelmshaven, Wolfenbüttel, Wolfsburg, Wunstorf
North Rhine-Westphalia:
Ahlen, Alsdorf, Arnsberg, Bad Oeynhausen, Bad Salzuflen, Bergheim, Bergisch Gladbach, Bergkamen, Bocholt, Borken, Bornheim, Bottrop, Brühl, Bünde, Castrop-Rauxel, Detmold, Dinslaken, Dormagen, Dorsten, Dülmen, Erftstadt, Erkelenz, Erkrath , Eschweiler, Euskirchen, Frechen, Gelsenkirchen, Grevenbroich, Gronau (Westf.), Gummersbach, Gütersloh, Hattingen, Heinsberg, Herten, Herzogenrath, Hilden, Hückelhoven, Hürth, Ibbenbüren, Iserlohn, Kaarst, Kerpen, Königswinter, Krefeld, Langenfeld (Rhineland ), Lemgo, Lüdenscheid, Lünen, Meerbusch, Menden (Sauerland), Minden, Moers, Mönchengladbach, Monheim am Rhein, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Nettetal, Neuss, Oberhausen, Paderborn, Pulheim, Ratingen, Recklinghausen, Remscheid, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Rheine, Sankt Augustin, Schwerte, Siegburg, Siegen, Soest, Solingen, Troisdorf, Unna, Velbert, Viersen, Wesel, Willich, Witten, Wuppertal
Rhineland-Palatinate:
Bad Kreuznach, Kaiserslautern, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Neuwied, Pirmasens, Worms
Saarland:
Homburg, Neunkirchen
Saxony:
Gorlitz, Plauen, Zwickau
Saxony-Anhalt:
Lutherstadt Wittenberg
Schleswig-Holstein:
Elmshorn, Norderstedt, Pinneberg
Thuringia:
Gotha, Nordhausen
Links:
– You can find an overview of the contacted cities with their waste volumes and CO2 savings potential as well as an example application here: https://l.duh.de/p220730
– More information on the plastic-free cities initiative: https://www.duh.de/plastic-free-staedte/
Press contact:
Barbara Metz, Federal Managing Director
0170 7686923, [email protected]
DUH-Newsroom:
030 2400867-20, [email protected]
www.duh.de, www.twitter.com/umwelthilfe,
www.facebook.com/umwelthilfe, www.instagram.com/umwelthilfe,
www.linkedin.com/company/umwelthilfe
Original content from: Deutsche Umwelthilfe eV, transmitted by news aktuell
Original message: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/22521/5285264
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