Packaging is the area that almost everyone underestimates – both in terms of cost and regulations. Plan your packaging, return and cleaning processes to suit your offering. The applicable requirements depend on the material, the form of service and the location.
The obligation to offer reusable options
What is required
DE Germany
AT Austria
CH Switzerland
Who is subject to the German requirement
This applies to everyone who sells food in Single-use plastic packaging for takeaway orders, as well as for disposable drink cups that are only filled when served.
It is important to note the restriction to plastic: anyone who uses only paper, cardboard or aluminium for packaging is not covered by these rules when it comes to food. With disposable drink cups, the material isn’t the decisive factor.
The exception applies to small businesses. Businesses with no more than five employees and a sales area of no more than 80 square metres are not required to offer their own reusable options – but must allow customers to have their own containers filled. Check the number of employees and the area for the entire business in question. Part-time employees are counted on a pro rata basis in accordance with statutory rules.
However, this does not mean you are off the hook: you must still consider the possibility that indicated by clearly legible signs … will be. This is exactly what is checked during inspections, and this is exactly what is missing in most cases.
What should go on the sign
A note stating that customers are allowed to bring their own containers – displayed clearly at the serving hatch, not in the small print. One sentence is enough: “Bring your own container; we’ll be happy to fill it for you.”
Bringing your own containers and hygiene. One thing doesn’t rule out the other, but there needs to be a rule: the container must not enter your work area. The usual practice is to hand it over across the counter onto a tray, filling it without any contact between the container and the ladle. You may refuse containers that are visibly dirty.
Ban on single-use plastics
Since July 2021, a ban on certain single-use plastic items has been in force across the EU. This applies immediately in Germany and Austria, whilst Switzerland has partially implemented it through its own regulations.
| Prohibited | Permitted |
|---|---|
| Plastic cutlery and plates | Wood, bamboo, palm leaf |
| Plastic drinking straws | Paper, glass, metal |
| Stirrers | Wood |
| Styrofoam food containers | Cardboard, cellulose, reusable |
| Products made from oxo-degradable plastic | – |
Stock was allowed to be sold off; that’s long since been done. Anyone who still has polystyrene trays in their warehouse would be better off disposing of them than using them.
System participation and licensing
In Germany, packaging may be subject to the mandatory participation scheme. For service packaging, participation may already have been arranged by the previous distributor. Make sure you get this confirmed. Your own registration in the LUCID Packaging Register This remains to be examined separately. Small quantities are not automatically exempt from all obligations.
Registration is compulsory, free of charge and subject to verification. You are not permitted to sell packaged goods without a licence. Licence fees depend on the type and quantity of goods and, for a food truck, are usually in the low three-figure range per year.
In Austria and Switzerland, specific rules apply to packaging, waste disposal and, where applicable, take-back schemes. Ask your supplier to explain which obligations have already been met and which remain the responsibility of your business.
The cost of packaging
| Articles | Disposable | Reusable (purchase) |
|---|---|---|
| Main course bowl | 0,12 – 0,30 € | 2,50 – 6,00 € |
| 0.4-litre cup | 0,08 – 0,20 € | 1,50 – 3,50 € |
| Cutlery set | 0,05 – 0,15 € | 1,00 – 2,50 € |
| Napkin, bag | 0,02 – 0,06 € | – |
At 120 portions a day and 0.35 euros for packaging per portion, that’s 42 euros a day – around 500 euros a month based on twelve days’ operation. That’s more than most people realise, and it needs to be factored into the price calculation.
The turnover rate affects the costs. At a purchase price of four euros and twenty uses, the cost per use is twenty cents. Cleaning, logistics, wastage and fees are added on top. Compare these total costs with your single-use packaging.
A comparison of deposit-return schemes
| Model | How it works | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Own deposit | You buy containers, collect deposits and wash them yourself | permanent locations, regular customers |
| Pool system | The provider supplies containers; these are to be returned to any participant | Cities with many partners |
| Event deposit | The organiser takes care of the arrangements; you pay your share | Festivals |
For a food truck operating at different locations, a pool system is usually more practical: customers can return items anywhere, whilst responsibility for cleaning depends on the terms of the system contract. The fee per item is usually between ten and thirty cents.
What you’ll need to develop this
- Storage space for reusable tableware – significantly more than for flat-stackable disposable items
- Recycling bins, separate from the clean copy
- Dishwashing facilities, if you do the washing up yourself – then your water consumption will also increase
- A spot at the bar for deposit processing
Anyone still planning the conversion should bear this in mind straight away. Creating storage space retrospectively in a finished vehicle is almost impossible – read more about this in the article Plan expansion.