pecial regulation for small businesses
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 3:32 am
There is an exception for businesses that employ fewer than 5 people and whose sales area is smaller than 80 square meters . These two criteria apply cumulatively , i.e. both must be met; if only one of the requirements is met, no exception is possible. Businesses to which the exception applies do not have to offer their own reusable solution. However, they honduras phone phone data are obliged to fill the ordered food and drinks into packaging that the customers bring with them if requested. The exception applies, for example, to kiosks, snack bars , food trucks and late-night shops.
Small businesses that can make use of the special arrangement have certain information obligations. They must display a sign or board that is clearly visible and easy to read and that contains the information that customers' own cups and containers can be filled.
But be careful : some businesses cannot make use of this special regulation. These are establishments whose sales area is less than 80 square meters, but which belong to a larger company , for example a bakery chain. Here the entire company counts, which usually employs significantly more than 5 people.
Formula for calculating the number of employees and sales area
Five employees does not mean five people. Only full-time employees are valued with a factor of 1.0. For part-time employees working up to 20 hours a week, the factor is 0.5, and for part-time employees working up to 30 hours, the factor is 0.75. The sales area is also sometimes larger than expected, and the calculation includes not only indoor areas, but also seasonally used areas, outdoor areas and other seating or rest areas for customers.
No reusable requirement for pizza boxes
Things get interesting when you delve into the finer points of the packaging law. For the catering industry, it becomes clear that not all disposable packaging has to be replaced with a reusable alternative. This is because it mainly affects containers from which you can consume food and drinks directly and which then end up in the trash. A second criterion is that this packaging is made partly or entirely of plastic :
Paper cups for coffee, but also for ice cream, for example, have a thin plastic layer on the inside - here you have to offer a reusable option.
Pizza boxes are made only of cardboard – they are not subject to the reusable requirement.
Disposable bags and disposable foil packaging, for example for rolls and sandwiches, are also exempt - the packaging is also used for storage.
Small businesses that can make use of the special arrangement have certain information obligations. They must display a sign or board that is clearly visible and easy to read and that contains the information that customers' own cups and containers can be filled.
But be careful : some businesses cannot make use of this special regulation. These are establishments whose sales area is less than 80 square meters, but which belong to a larger company , for example a bakery chain. Here the entire company counts, which usually employs significantly more than 5 people.
Formula for calculating the number of employees and sales area
Five employees does not mean five people. Only full-time employees are valued with a factor of 1.0. For part-time employees working up to 20 hours a week, the factor is 0.5, and for part-time employees working up to 30 hours, the factor is 0.75. The sales area is also sometimes larger than expected, and the calculation includes not only indoor areas, but also seasonally used areas, outdoor areas and other seating or rest areas for customers.
No reusable requirement for pizza boxes
Things get interesting when you delve into the finer points of the packaging law. For the catering industry, it becomes clear that not all disposable packaging has to be replaced with a reusable alternative. This is because it mainly affects containers from which you can consume food and drinks directly and which then end up in the trash. A second criterion is that this packaging is made partly or entirely of plastic :
Paper cups for coffee, but also for ice cream, for example, have a thin plastic layer on the inside - here you have to offer a reusable option.
Pizza boxes are made only of cardboard – they are not subject to the reusable requirement.
Disposable bags and disposable foil packaging, for example for rolls and sandwiches, are also exempt - the packaging is also used for storage.