Pizza is one of Germany’s most beloved foods, but it creates a lot of mess. So, in order to stop people littering in parks and other public places, the city of Frankfurt is considering imposing a 50-cent deposit (Pfand) on pizza boxes. 

50-cent deposit on pizza boxes in Frankfurt?

In Frankfurt, you could soon have to pay a deposit of 50 cents when you buy a takeaway pizza in disposable packaging. Annette Rinn, the city’s new Head of Department for Order, Security and Fire Protection, wants to take on the flood of packaging waste that is deluging the city’s parks and public spaces, and is considering a deposit system as one way of tackling the problem.

“During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have discovered that it is cheaper to sit on a bench with food and drinks picked up from the supermarket,” she told Bild. This creates a lot of mess. “This is really a problem that needs to be addressed,” she said. 

Her idea is to involve the city’s restaurants and put in place a deposit system. According to Rinn, if someone pays 50 cents for their pizza box, “it is more likely to be returned.” 

Germany’s Federal Packaging Act would need amending

Confirming her plans to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, she added that the Federal Packaging Act would first need to be amended, and that she expected the new federal government to seriously take on the issue of packaging waste. 

In the meantime, she said a voluntary regulation could help to tackle the problem, with restaurants opting to serve their pizzas in reusable boxes.