A levy not a take-back scheme
Put single-use plastic products on the German market and DIVID is where you pay for the litter they create. It is the German single-use plastics register, the platform of the country's Single-Use Plastics Fund, and it collects an annual levy rather than organising collection.
The fund is run by the Umweltbundesamt, the German Environment Agency. What you pay in reimburses municipalities for cleaning up littered items, so the obligation is a yearly payment, not a recycling operation you run.
What DIVID covers
The Single-Use Plastics Fund Act (Einwegkunststofffondsgesetz) lists the products that fall in, in its Anlage 1.
- Food containers, beverage cups and beverage containers.
- Lightweight carrier bags and wet wipes.
- Balloons and tobacco products with filters.
The levy has been payable on these since 1 January 2024, first collected in 2025. Fireworks join the scheme from 1 January 2027.
Who counts as a producer
Any manufacturer that first places an in-scope product on the German market, based in Germany or not. Importers and distance sellers bringing these products into Germany count as the manufacturer for the fund.
There is no de-minimis threshold. If a product is on the Anlage 1 list, the first unit you place on the market brings you into the levy.
Registering and paying the levy
Registration is done on the DIVID platform and settled once a year.
- Check whether your products fall under Anlage 1 of the Act.
- If you are not established in Germany, appoint a German authorised representative first (see below).
- Register on the DIVID platform with your company and product data.
- Report the mass of single-use plastic you placed on the market each year by 15 May.
- Pay the levy at the fund's per-product rates.
Paying in from abroad
Manufacturers without a German establishment must appoint one Germany-based authorised representative before they start, under a written mandate in German. DIVID has been open to foreign manufacturers since 1 August 2024.
The registration itself stays with the producer and cannot be handed over. The representative takes on the rest of the fund duties, but your name is the one on the register.
German terms you will meet
The fund and its paperwork are in German. These come up most.
- Einwegkunststofffonds: the Single-Use Plastics Fund.
- Einwegkunststofffondsgesetz (EWKFondsG): the law behind it.
- DIVID: the registration and reporting platform.
- Umweltbundesamt (UBA): the agency that runs the fund.
Other German registers
Germany runs three separate registers, split by product. Packaging goes in LUCID, and electronics and batteries in stiftung EAR. This page is the single-use plastics register.
Frequently asked questions about DIVID
Short answers to what producers ask before they register.
Who must register in DIVID?
Any manufacturer, importer or distance seller that first places an Anlage 1 single-use plastic product on the German market. There is no minimum volume.
Is DIVID a recycling scheme?
No. It is a cost-recovery levy. You pay into the fund, which reimburses municipalities for litter cleanup, rather than running collection or recycling yourself.
What does DIVID cost?
A per-product levy set by the fund, reported and paid each year by 15 May against the mass you placed on the market.
Can a representative register for me?
A German authorised representative can take on your fund duties, but the registration under the Act stays with you as the producer.