(HU) Újratölthető pohárvisszaváltó automatákat telepítettek a berlini Rewe üzletekbe

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and partners have launched a new pilot programme in Berlin to enable the automatic return of refillable cups.

In the first phase, reverse vending machines have been installed in selected Rewe stores in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district of Berlin, where Recup and Sykell cups can be returned.

The cups participating in the project, which bear a code enabling return, can now be bought at more than 80 locations, such as in the bakeries Kamps and Le Crobag and at Burger King. The cups can be returned at Tomra and Sielaff reverse vending machines and are then centrally cleaned by a service provider, Profimiet before being put back into circulation.

The pilot scheme, supported by the Berliner Senatsverwaltung, will run for one year.

Barbara Metz, Managing Director of the DUH, pointed out that while the amount of single-use packaging waste is steadily increasing, the market share of refillable packaging is only 1 per cent. The aim is to simplify the system, thus making it easier for more restaurants and consumers to join.

The project could serve as a model for other German cities. Berlin Senator Ute Bonde, responsible for mobility, transport and climate protection, said: “Refillable cups, which offer a flexible solution like deposit bottles, are a way to a cleaner future.”