Overview
- Potsdam enacted a municipal packaging tax that came into force on Thursday, October 1, 2026, charging 50 cents for single-use cups and bowls and 20 cents for disposable cutlery.
- Businesses that sell food or drinks in taxed single-use containers must collect the fee at point of sale and remit it to the city, and many operators have already said they will pass the cost to customers.
- The ordinance lists exemptions for supermarket prepackaged goods, classic bakery bags, delivery-service packaging, deposit-bearing cans and vendors that sell in Potsdam on no more than ten days a year.
- The city cites environmental aims and municipal cost relief, projects roughly €1 million in annual revenue from 2027, has offered limited subsidies such as up to €2,000 for dishwashers, and can fine violators up to €10,000.
- Local business groups including the IHK Potsdam, Handwerkskammer and DEHOGA warn of extra bureaucracy, reprogrammed cash systems and competitive disadvantages for firms with outlets outside Potsdam, a friction that has prompted other cities such as Freiburg to revisit their own packaging levies.