From the point of view of the industry, the new reusable regulation for gastronomy still has to be implemented in everyday life.
"I think it's a matter of practice," said the deputy general manager of the Hessian restaurant association Dehoga, Oliver Kasties, of the German Press Agency.
"At the moment, restaurateurs are still dealing with many questions, especially with regard to the choice of which reusable system to join."
How well the implementation works also depends on the experience of the local with take-away offers.
"We have very, very many companies that increasingly had out-of-home business during the Corona period.
Back then, they already switched to reusable packaging, and things are going great with them.” Those companies that have not yet dealt with this face a greater challenge.
"The industry wants"
Since the beginning of this year, customers of restaurants, bistros and cafés have had the right to have their food and drinks to go in reusable packaging instead of in single-use packaging.
This is what the so-called multi-way offer obligation says.
Certain smaller shops are exempt from the obligation, but the following applies: Customers can have containers they have brought with them filled here.
Several media reported after the starting signal that by no means all companies had implemented the regulations.
The environmental organization Greenpeace said something similar in mid-January: In the first two weeks of the year, supporters were called upon to check compliance with the new obligation in fast-food chains, snack bars and restaurants.
The result: According to Greenpeace, many companies did not follow the guidelines.
With all the basic approval of reusable - "the industry wants" - the Hessian restaurant association also sees a burden.
It was bad timing to introduce the scheme, Kasties said.
"Because we still have a lot of burdens from the effects of Corona - from the high energy costs, staff shortages and increased food prices.
And now, on top of that, there is the obligation to offer multiple channels, which you have to deal with.”
According to Dehoga's assessment, a lot depends on the location of a business as to which reusable system is even possible: whether the restaurateurs issue their own returnable containers or, for example, can join a pool system with which the dishes can be handed in anywhere.
"The more rural the farm is, the more difficult it is to select a suitable system," said Kasties.
However, there is a lot going on in the market right now.
Customers are also in demand and should specifically ask about the reusable offer.