Since 1 August, the platform for the Single-Use Plastic Fund has also been available to foreign manufacturers and eligible parties for registration.
 

The Single-Use Plastics Act, which came into force at the beginning of 2024, obliges manufacturers of single-use plastic products to cover the costs of disposal in public spaces. DIVID is to handle the digital processing of all registrations and payments from the estimated 56,000 or so manufacturers subject to the levy, as well as the annual distribution of funds to the estimated 6,400 or so beneficiaries. According to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), the platform is the central instrument for communication between external users and the UBA as well as for the internal administrative processes relating to the Single-Use Plastic Fund, which has an annual fund volume of around 430 million euros. From next year, the Single-Use Plastic Fund is to be used to distribute the money paid in by manufacturers to cities, municipalities and other authorised parties. The UBA manages the fund digitally via the DIVID platform and will determine the amount of the manufacturer contributions and the amount of the payouts to the authorised parties from 2025. Manufacturers who were already active before 1 January 2024 must register by the end of the year. All other manufacturers must register immediately from the start of their activities. As the UBA points out, the obligation to pay the levy will apply from 2024 regardless of the registration date.
 
Sources:

• UBA press release  (1.8.2024)
• Photo: © Agenlaku Indonesia, unsplash.com (symbolic image)