Every year, around 65 million tons of waste end up in landfills in Germany. But their number and capacity are decreasing. The construction industry in particular fears an impending waste emergency.
Germany’s waste disposal capacity is gradually becoming scarce. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, of the 1,001 landfills still in operation in 2022, a total of 547 will reach the end of their intended operating life by 2032, i.e. more than half. The remaining landfill capacity would therefore fall by almost a third to just under 300 million cubic meters, unless existing landfills are enlarged or new ones built. The construction industry, which produces more than half of the waste generated in Germany, is particularly concerned about an impending waste disposal emergency.
Concerns are being increased by the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance, known in the industry as “EBV”, which has been in force for a year. Its aim is actually to process and reuse construction rubble and excavated soil. However, the rules combined with new soil protection regulations may have had the opposite effect to the political intention.
New regulation counterproductive?
This is indicated by a survey of four construction and recycling associations among their member companies: Only 5 percent of the 156 companies surveyed said that more construction rubble and excavated soil had been recycled since then, 52 percent saw no change – and 42 percent of the companies stated that less was being processed for reuse than before. “Due to a lack of recycling options, for example in road and civil engineering, the only option is often landfilling,” says Andreas Pocha, Managing Director of the German Demolition Association.
Recycled building materials not in demand
The demand for recycled materials has also fallen, as many builders – including authorities – prefer primary building materials. “States and municipalities must show their colours and commit to building with recycled materials,” says Felix Pakleppa, General Manager of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry (ZDB), which represents medium-sized construction companies. “The Substitute Building Materials Ordinance is in danger of failing miserably.”
The counterpart for the large construction companies is the German Construction Industry Association: “Instead of ensuring more circular economy in construction, one year after the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance came into force, less is being recycled, more raw materials are being sent to landfill and the costs have increased for everyone,” criticizes General Manager Tim-Oliver Müller.
Construction industry: Authorities themselves cannot see through it
Apart from that, the regulations of the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance are apparently extremely complicated: “Authority representatives are too often poorly informed and can rarely help with the implementation of the EBV requirements,” says Katrin Mees, Managing Director of the Federal Association for Recycling Building Materials.
According to general assessments in the construction and building materials recycling industry, the landfill problem will worsen in the coming years. “The situation is tense in federal states with high levels of construction activity and limited landfill capacity, such as Bavaria and Hesse, as the availability of suitable landfills has been a bottleneck for years,” says Andreas Pocha, Managing Director of the German Demolition Association. According to the ZDB, the situation in Bavaria is “particularly tense.”
The fewer landfills there are in Germany, the longer the transport routes. The Bavarian construction industry, for example, complains that construction waste sometimes has to be transported as far as Thuringia for disposal.
65 million tons of waste per year in landfills
Every year, Germany produces around 400 million tons of waste, slightly less than at the end of the last decade. One reason for this is the current economic downturn, which has also reduced construction waste. The majority is recycled or otherwise used, but of the 399 million tons of waste in 2022, 65 million tons ended up in landfills. Figures for 2023 are not yet available.
The problem is not new, but has been a topic in specialist circles for years. Two decades ago, there were over 2,000 landfills in operation across Germany with 668 million cubic metres of residual volume. According to current figures, less than a quarter of these landfills will still be available in 2032. Among other things, a number of landfills were closed prematurely in 2005 due to stricter environmental regulations, as the Federal Environment Ministry explains.
Federal Environment Ministry: No evidence of increased landfilling
If the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance actually reduces the recycling rate of construction waste, this would cause the remaining landfill capacity to shrink more quickly. “We have so far had no concrete evidence that the two ordinances will lead to an increase in the disposal of recyclable construction waste,” the Federal Environment Ministry responded to the criticism. An initial evaluation of the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance is to be available by August 2025.
Waste law as such is a matter for the states. Accordingly, the state governments are responsible for planning replacement capacities, not the federal government. But according to the construction and recycling industry, this is where the problem lies in many states.
Municipalities do not want landfills
Landfills are naturally unpopular. “The states are increasingly confronted with a negative attitude towards landfills at the municipal level,” says the Construction Industry Association. “Since new landfills are difficult to implement in sociopolitical terms, both the federal government and the states must actively address this task with nationwide relevance. A federal-state landfill strategy is required.”
If a landfill emergency were to occur one day, it would be a nationwide issue that would not be limited to the states. “At the moment, we have no indications that the capacity for waste disposal in Germany will not be sufficient in the medium term,” says the Federal Environment Ministry.
A research project on waste disposal technology is currently underway under the direction of the Federal Environment Agency, which also includes determining landfill capacities. The first results are due to be published in 2025.
Source: Stern
