Deposit-Refund Scheme in Germany (Pfand)

 The longer I live in Freiburg, the more I learn about Germany's success in environmental policies and initiatives. I would not be doing justice to Germany's progress in sustainability without mentioning the "Pfand" (deposit) scheme. I learned about it for the first time when I was walking on the streets of Freiburg with an empty bottle of juice in my hand, and a homeless man approached me. I expected him to ask for money but instead, he just pointed to the bottle in my hand. Slightly confused, I handed it to him. Later, I learned that that empty bottle was actually worth 25 cents.

As I learned in my Environmental Policy class last week, the Pfand scheme is an example of a deposit-refund scheme. Under this system, consumers pay an added deposit on drinks packaged in plastic or glass bottles at the time of purchase. Upon returning these bottles through special machines which can be found at most grocery stores, the deposit is refunded to the consumers. The bottles are then sent back to manufacturers and businesses, where they are properly cleaned and reused. Not only does this scheme drastically reduce plastic and glass waste, but it also puts less pressure on recycling streams. Moreover, it incentivizes responsible consumer behavior.

The Pfand scheme says a lot about German culture. This scheme has not been so successful in other countries like the UK, due to public disinterest. It is difficult to convince citizens to pay a few cents extra on beverages, which they would have to go back to the store to return in order to get their money back. However, Germans have been very accepting of this policy. Their strict, rule-adhering nature is probably a key factor behind this. Additionally, I have noticed that environmental awareness and concern among Germans is a lot higher than Americans. 

It is hard to imagine such a scheme being implemented successfully at a large scale in the US, mainly due to public disapproval. It shows us that policy cannot be successful without public awareness and education. Clearly, Germany is doing well in this field.