Germany’s largest retailer, Metro, said on Friday that it will be removing all disposable soft drink, beer and water bottles from its shelves, as the effects of the country’s recycling laws continue to kick in.
The move follows similar action from Metro’s competitors Aldi Sud, Tengelmann and Edeka.
In January a controversial law was introduced in Germany, which forced retailers to charge 25c-50c deposits on such packaging. But consumers have been unwilling to bring their bottles back to the stores from which they bought them and as a result have simply stopped buying the drinks.
“People just don’t buy these drinks any more, so we are doing what any retailer would do,” a Metro spokesman said.
Some brewers, bottlers, tank stations, and supermarkets have reported sales drops of up to 80%.
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