Berlin. The German government has commissioned a five-year, legally mandated collection of statistical consumption data to obtain the actual amount of plastic waste that Germans produce each year through their purchases. The change in the law will take effect from 01.05.2019 and will mean that in future a consecutive number will be noted on every item with plastic packaging.
"We have noticed on the sidelines that a few citizens complain that cucumbers and bananas are packed in plastic. But we don't believe that we produce a lot of waste here. After all, Germany is so clean. But because the welfare of our citizens is important to us, we are now having all foodstuffs with plastic counted over a 5-year period and labelled accordingly. Then we want to see whether we really make so much garbage with our purchases," said MP Angelo Merte at the federal press conference on Friday.
This is how the plastic count works
To avoid a possible problem with the Plastic waste in the environment the federal government has taken action. The plastic census includes the following changes and procedures:
- From 01.05.2019 to 31.04.2024 all products with plastic packaging will be counted.
- This includes, for example, plastic carry bags, shrink wrap for food, Coffee-2Go cups and also electronics packaging.
- Each item is given a sequential number for counting, which is noted on the product with a black, waterproof sharpie.
- After five years, the exact figure is viewed and evaluated in plenary.
"After five years, we will know more. Until then, we ask for patience. If our survey really shows that we produce a lot of plastic waste in Germany, we'll see further," Merte added, still in a personal interview with CareElite. He then took a firm pull of the straw from the Starbucks cup and bid farewell to our reporters with a friendly nod.
PS.: This post was an April Fool's joke.
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April Fool's Day!!!
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