The UBA's digital platform for implementing the Single-Use Plastics Fund Act is to be launched in stages.

 

The Single-Use Plastics Fund Act, which was announced on May 15, 2023, obliges manufacturers of to-go food containers, tobacco filters (products) and other single-use plastic items, for example, to contribute to the costs of collection, cleaning and disposal in public spaces from 2024. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) is setting up the digital platform DIVID to manage and process the contributions to be paid by companies to the Single-Use Plastic Fund. The database will be used to manage all registrations and payments made by the estimated 56,000 or so parties liable to pay into the Single-Use Plastics Fund, as well as the annual distribution of funds to the estimated 6,400 beneficiaries. According to the UBA's current schedule, DIVID will gradually go live from April 1, 2024. According to the authority, the highly complex IT infrastructure, which must meet high security requirements, should be completed by then. The registration of manufacturers from Germany can therefore only take place from April 2024. According to the UBA, foreign manufacturers and their authorized representatives will also be able to create an account on DIVID from this date. From January 1, 2024 until April 1, 2024, the UBA intends to make a static image of DIVID available to the affected groups on the website www.einwegkunststofffonds.de. Manufacturers in particular could then also submit applications for the classification of manufacturer status and single-use plastic products there.
 
Further information: Questions and answers on the Single-Use Plastic Fund (in German)
 
Sources:

• UBA press release (Dec. 12, 2023)
• Photo: unsplash.com, Jasmin Sessler