As of: March 2006

Waste Situation in Germany - Overview

Waste management is an important economic factor in Germany - with more than 200.000 employees and a turnover of about 50 Billion Euro (2002). The total volume of waste in Germany amounts to about 366 million tonnes in 2003. About 58 % of the municipal and 42 % of the industrial waste is recycled (2003) - showing an increasing tendency.

Building rubble, excavated material, waste road material and construction site waste account for the largest share of the total, with about 223 million tonnes in 2003. Most of this group is due to excavated material, which is largely reused. A large proportion of the remaining mineral construction waste is also reused/recycled. All together there is a recycling proportion of more than 86 %.

Debris from mining is largely due to coal mining operations. In view of the marked reduction in the quantities mined, the volume of mining is about 47 million tonnes (2003). The bulk of the mining debris is deposited on tips.

The third-largest waste group is manufacturing industry waste with more than 47 million tonnes 2003.¹

The volume of urban waste (almost 50 million tonnes in 2003) is composed largely of the following waste types: domestic waste, domestic-type industrial waste, bulky waste, market waste, garden and park waste, road sweepings, and separately collected reusable/recyclable waste such as organic waste, paper, board, glass, plastics etc. It remained almost constant in the period under review.

¹ For methodological reasons and in contrast to previous years this figure includes wastes that require particular supervision