Germany’s Waste Generation Continues to Decline
According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the preliminary results for 2023 show a total of 380.1 million tons of waste in Germany, a decrease of 4.8 percent or 19 million tons compared to the previous year. This marks a continuous decline in waste generation since the peak of 417.2 million tons in 2018.
A significant factor in the decline was the 8.1 percent or 17.4 million ton reduction in construction and demolition waste, the first such decrease since 2012. Additionally, the amount of other waste, including production and commercial waste, decreased by 3.3 percent or 1.6 million tons and waste from the extraction and processing of natural resources decreased by 1.4 percent or 0.4 million tons.
In contrast, the amount of municipal waste, including household waste and similar establishments, increased by a slight 0.6 percent or 0.3 million tons. The amount of secondary waste, which is already processed in a waste treatment facility, also saw a slight increase of 0.3 percent or 0.2 million tons.
Despite the significant decline, construction and demolition waste still made up the majority of the total waste generation in 2023, at 198.8 million tons or 52 percent. Secondary waste accounted for 15 percent, municipal waste for 13 percent, other waste for 12 percent and waste from the extraction and processing of natural resources for 7 percent.
In 2023, a total of 313.3 million tons of waste were processed, equivalent to an 82 percent waste recycling rate, which has remained unchanged since 2019. The majority of the processed waste, 266.4 million tons or 70 percent, was recycled, while 59.5 million tons or 16 percent were sent to landfills.