There can be no question of a paperless office - but the state government's paper consumption is falling significantly. But: Not all houses use recycled paper. The Greens criticize that one ministry in particular does not do justice to its function as a role model.
Munich (dpa/lby) - The paper consumption of most Bavarian ministries has decreased significantly in recent years - however, individual houses still use little or almost no recycled paper. This emerges from the state government's responses to several inquiries from the Greens in the state parliament. The Ministry of Culture is particularly at the bottom of the list.
Of the 19.4 tons of paper procured by the Ministry of Education in 2021, only 1.4 tons were recycled paper - this corresponds to a share of just seven percent. And the rate even went down compared to previous years. Even in the Ministry of Science, the proportion was only seven percent.
"When it comes to recycling, it's a six for the school minister," said Green politician Patrick Friedl. "The schools are being urged to use environmentally friendly paper, while the ministry itself is using it less and less. What ignorance." The Ministry of Education should actually be a role model in the use of environmentally friendly products, demanded the member of parliament. "Then students can also take an example."
For comparison: The Ministry of the Environment has been attracting attention for several years with a recycling rate of exactly or almost 100 percent. In the State Chancellery, the rate was around 50 percent in 2021, 89 percent in the Ministry of the Interior and 87 percent in the Ministry of Finance. In the Ministry of Justice it was 95 percent, in the Ministry of Health 97 percent.
"It should go without saying that the ministries do everything they can to save energy and water. The use of environmentally friendly paper is one of the simplest things to do," said Friedl. "We Greens demand that all ministries, subordinate authorities and public institutions finally switch to recycled paper."
However, paper consumption has fallen almost everywhere: in the State Chancellery, for example, by 36 percent within five years, by 40 percent in the Ministry of the Interior, by 64 percent in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, by 65 percent in the Ministry of Social Affairs and by 67 percent in the Ministry of Agriculture.
