Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Research Study on International Recycling Experience
Annex A
A3 GERMANY - WIESBADEN
A3.1 OVERVIEW
A summary description of Wiesbaden and key recycling data are presented in Table A3.1.
Table A3.A3.1 Overview of Wiesbaden
City background / Details
Population / 267 000
Density / 1300/km2
Type of area / Urban & rural
Type of housing / Predominantly houses in the urban area
Definition of MSW / All waste from the domestic sector and commercial waste similar to household waste
Recycling target / At a regional level:
- collection of recyclables: 125 kg per capita per year;
- recycling: set at 80% of collected recyclable material;
- organic waste: a maximum collection of 120 kg per capita;
- bulky waste: 50% of the collected quantity to be recycled (a maximum of 20 kg per capita as non-recyclable residues);
- commercial: 40% of the collected quantity shall be recycled.
Recycling achievement / Officially no figures are published. Data on recycling tonnages shows that recyclate production is 210 kg per capita (1998).
Principal recycling drivers /
- landfill disposal charges;
- producer responsibility;
- volume based charging for non-recyclable refuse;
- good separate collection;
- public information.
A3.2 RECYCLING TRENDS
In Wiesbaden 91 148 tonnes of municipal solid waste was produced in 1998. Of this, 43 488 tonnes were recycled. Since 1991, the amount of material recycled has, on the whole, increased year on year, notably when the Packaging Ordinance was introduced in 1991, and in 1996, with the introduction of the Waste Management Act and the strengthening of charges for disposal of waste to landfill. Figure A3.1 shows overall municipal solid waste trends since 1991 concomitant with changes in recycling rates over this period.
Figure A3.1 Trends in MSW generation and amount of household and commercial recycling
Figure A3.2 breaks down the recycling figure, given in Figure A3.1 by material. Since 1996 there has been a dramatic increase in organic waste collection.
Figure A3.2 Recycled materials from household and commercial sector for Wiesbaden
Plastics are included in the line representing recycling of 'packaging/'Green Dot'. Financing from the 'Green Dot' scheme (see Box A3.1) makes the treatment of plastics viable. The market price of the chemicals produced from the processing of plastics is insufficient to provide incentives to recycle. Its use is encouraged through a standard requiring a minimal share of recycled material in plastics production of 24 per cent.
Wiesbaden has been set targets at a regional level (Hessen) and at a municipal level. Table A3.2 outlines the most recent targets for Hessen and Wiesbaden.
Table A3.2 Recycling Targets
Type of Material / Targets for the Region of Hessen / Targets for Municipality of Wiesbaden / Wiesbaden Recycling Achievements (1998) (t/a)
Total MSW / - /
- Switch to a two-shift collection.
- Reduction to 69 400 - 81 400 t/a.
All recyclable / Collection of recyclables: 125 kg/inhabitant/year, 80% of collected material to be recycled. /
- Implementation of recycling centres.
- Public relations work/waste handling advice.
Organic / Max. 120 kg/inhabitant collected. /
- Support for home composters.
- Adapting waste service charge.
- Public relations/advice.
- Implementation of organic waste collection.
- Construction of treatment facility (anaerobic digestion) with a capacity of 18 000 t/a.
10,500 (1999) (51 kg/capita)
Parks and gardens. / - /
- Acceptance at recycling centres.
- Extension of the composting capacity from 10 000 to 17 000 t/a.
Bulky- waste / 50% collected quantity should be recycled (max. 20 kg/inhabitant /year as non- recyclable remaining residues). /
- Intensification of collection on demand.
- Overall reduction to 3600 - 5000 t/a, recycling of 1400 - 3600 t/a.
Paper/ card / - /
- Increasing the recycling container density.
- Extension of the voluntary collection for all commercial companies.
Packaging ('Green Dot') e.g. plastics / There are national targets that range from 64 to 72 %, depending on the material. / - / 4,648
Glass / - /
- Keeping the current system.
Domestic hazardous / Compulsory to accept the return of all batteries, irrespective of their harmful substance content. /
- Adaptation/extension of the stationary system
- Increasing the collection frequency of the mobile collection up to 6 - 12 times per year.
Commercial / 40% of collected quantity should be recycled. / n/a
A3.3 MSW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
Collection and treatment of MSW and recyclables, including organic waste, and the disposal of remaining residues is a duty of the municipality. Collection activities are performed by "Entsorgungsbetriebe der Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden" (ELW), a company belonging to the municipality of Wiesbaden.
Materials recovery and separation is carried out by private companies, whilst ELW run the city's recycling centres. Due to the proximity of the facilities, there is no need for a transfer station. Collection of bulky waste can be arranged for a fee, although householders can also deliver their waste to civic amenity sites. Materials collected in yellow bags are centrally sorted, as is the paper collected from the containers at recycling points. Materials are sorted into paper, composite containers, mixed plastics, plastic film and aluminium and ferrous fractions. There are around 25 per cent residues from the sorting process.
All collected organic is taken to a composting site belonging to a solid waste organisation outside of the municipality of Wiesbaden. The composting process is controlled and the compost produced is of high quality. The total capacity is currently limited to 17 000 tonnes per annum.
A3.4 COLLECTION MECHANISMS AND ACCESSIBILITY
Table A3.3 outlines the recycling programmes operating in Wiesbaden. In summary:
- domestic MSW is collected weekly using 41 000 containers of different sizes (120, 240, 660, 770, 1100, 2200, 4400 litres). Organic waste is collected in 120 and 240 litre containers; and
- commercial waste similar to household waste is collected together with household waste. There are no official recycling programmes for the commercial sector, although participation is encouraged via landfill disposal costs. At present 170 companies voluntarily recycle paper and card along with small quantities of hazardous materials (DM 3, or £0.95, per kg).
A3.4.1 Participation Rate
There are no data indicating participation rates. However, in general, participation is higher in urban areas than in rural. The exception is organic waste where the opposite is true, due to greater storage capacities.
Table A3.3 Collection Methods and Coverage of Domestic Recyclables
Type / Method / Availability / Participation
Paper and card / Containers at recycling points. / 1 recycling container per 500 inhabitants.
Organic waste; parks & garden waste / Use of 120 and 240 litre containers. Collection of other organic waste on demand. / 24 000 in total, collected weekly. The selective collection of organic waste by means of containers covers nearly 100% of Wiesbaden residents. The number of home composters is unknown, but increasing due to the opportunity for reducing waste service charges. Rural participation is higher than in more central city regions.
Packaging waste, including plastics / Yellow bag collection (in rural areas), containers, and container at recycling points. Every two weeks from households. / The selective collection of packaging waste governs the whole municipality by means of yellow bag collection, containers and containers at recycling points.
Metal / Yellow bag collection, containers and containers at recycling points, scrap metal collection on demand. / Every two weeks from households.
Glass / Containers at recycling points. Divides clear, green and brown glass. / One recycling container per 560 inhabitants.The selective collection of glass covers the whole of the municipality.
Bulky waste / Separate scrap collection on demand, self delivery to landfill site, bulky waste 'stock exchange'. / The selective collection of scrap metal covers, in principle, the whole of the municipality (because collection is on demand).
Mixture (wood, construction, inert materials, small quantities of hazardous material etc.) / Recycling centres (recycling points) for the collection of recyclables. / Five throughout Wiesbaden.
Domestic hazardous / Self delivery to the civic amenity site. / Mobile collection four times a year at 50 defined places; collection in schools, offices and pharmacies.
Electrical appliances / Separate collection and self delivery for refrigerators. / -
Tyres / Charges are DM 3 each without rim, DM 6 with rim, both requiring self delivery to the landfill. / -
Textiles / Collection by NGO using approximately 25 containers. / -
A3.5 COSTS & REVENUES
Domestic hazardous waste collection, transport and final treatment (involving one site and one mobile collection vehicle) are DM 1.7 million (£ 535 500).[1]
Costs for packaging waste recycling are covered by the fee for the 'Green Dot'. Under the 'Green Dot' system, companies pay for a licence to have their packaging waste collected and sorted. The 'Green Dot' fee comprises a weight-based fee per material and an item fee. The item fee is calculated according to the volume or size of a piece of packaging. In general, one item fee is charged for each piece of packaging. The licence depends on the type and quantity of packaging sold. Currently each consumer pays DM 49 every year to finance DSD.[2] The cost of DSD activities levied on the price of the product using packaging, and is paid by the consumer at the retail point.
On average, 8.5 per cent of the overall waste service charges are used for financing the public relations work and providing waste handling advice. This is financed by DSD and is equivalent to DM 1 per capita, with a top-up from the municipality's budget.
ELW has approximately 750 employees and around 20 training vacancies a year. This includes those employed by landfill activities as well as domestic hazardous waste workers.
Box A3.1 The DSD ('Green Dot') System
The DSD system relies on householders sorting their packaging waste into three different fractions: glass, sorted by colour, is taken to bottle banks, paper and card are consigned to one bin and the 'lightweight packaging' fraction (aluminium, steel, plastics, cartons and composites) goes into a yellow bin or bag. These waste streams are collected from households or nearby recycling points. The lightweight packaging stream is taken to sorting plants for further separation. Paper and card are sorted into different grades.
All materials are weighed at least three times during recovery and recycling. The DSD is obliged to submit 'mass flow verification' data every year to the environment ministries of each State to demonstrate compliance with Germany's national packaging recovery legislation.
Germany's DSD system have reached levels of material capture that have achieved compliance with national targets for every packaging material. The yield in 1998 corresponded to some 73.7 kg for every household in Germany. This was equivalent to 89 per cent of all sales packaging from homes and small businesses. The contamination rate was 7 per cent.
The monopoly aspect of the DSD system is currently under debate. The law may be changed to require fully competitive tendering for DSD contracts. There is some enthusiasm to ensure that all packaging is labelled to increase the transparency of the packaging fee paid by the consumer.
Source: Warmer Bulletin, January 1998, July 98.
A3.6 SUCCESS OF THE SCHEME
The success of the scheme can be attributed to the following:
- high landfill charges, which are particularly important in engaging the commercial sector in recycling activities;
- volume based refuse charges for non-recyclable waste;
- the Packaging Ordinance requiring producer responsibility for waste streams;
- the strong public relations activities of the municipality and ELW, accompanied by publicity materials and commercial support of the scheme.
A3.7 LEGAL/REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
Germany's waste policy is developed within the framework of the Federal Law on the Avoidance, Recycling and Disposal of Waste (1994). The Act imposes responsibility for all consumer products and wastes on the producer, and reduces the current role of local and regional government.
Key measures encouraging materials recovery in Germany are as follows:
Packaging Ordinance (1991): distributors and producers are obliged to take used packaging from consumers.
National Waste Management Strategy (1999): this aims to phase out landfilling of household waste by 2020. German legislation specifies that after 2005 untreated waste or organic waste cannot be landfilled.
DSD (Duales System Deutschland) System. See Box A3.1 for details.
Germany has introduced some of the most stringent legislation on packaging in Europe. National targets range from 64 to 72 per cent depending on the material.
A3.8 FISCAL INCENTIVES
A3.8.1 Waste Disposal Costs
Before 1996, all landfilling charges were DM 70 (£ 22.05) per tonne with no differentiation between different types of materials. However, charges have increased dramatically, notably for recyclable materials. The five classes of waste are outlined in Table A3.4.
Table A3.4 Costs of Landfilling
Materials / Charges (£/tonne)
Scrap, mineral sludge, street cleaning waste / 48
Paper sludge, demolition waste with impurities, sludge from wineries / 54
Residual waste containing asbestos, garden waste with impurities, leather residues, bulky waste / 60
Demolition waste, residues from organic waste sorting, residues from bulky waste sorting, residues from construction sites containing recyclables / 78
Commercial waste containing recyclable materials, organic waste. / 96
A3.8.2 Charging Systems for Waste Management
Household and business waste charges are calculated on the basis of the number of containers used, their size and frequency of collection, (see Table A3.5). A reduction in charges can be made for smaller households. No specific charge is levied for paper, or recyclables, including organic waste, and no charge is levied for packaging waste collected under the 'Green Dot' system in yellow bags. Households which can demonstrate the use of home composters may request a reduction in the waste service charge. In addition, there is a grant of DM 50 (£16) available to each household to encourage the use of home composters.
The waste collection operators for recyclable materials and organic waste ensure a high purity level in the recovered materials by rejecting containers that have been wrongly sorted. These containers are counted as general refuse and charged as such. The transparency of the yellow bags ensures that only uncontaminated recyclables are collected.
The increase in service charges over the last few years has made householders very sensitive to further increases. The service charges have consequently become more flexible so that the user pays only for the service required. Households can request smaller containers in order to attract a lower waste disposal charge.
Table A3.5 Charging rates for refuse collection
Container size (litres) / Annual charge
for weekly collection (£) / Additional annual collection:
fee per container (£)
120 / 96 / 6
240 / 182 / 10
660 / 432 / 17
770 / 508 / 20
1100 / 729 / 28
2200 / 1458 / 56
4400 / 2915 / 84
A3.9 PUBLIC AWARENESS
Four waste management advisors from ELW inform and consult with the populace. The municipality publishes comprehensive public relations material such as quarterly newsletters for households, literature on the costs of waste disposal, information on companies engaged in recycling activities, advice on where to bring specific materials, brochures, advertising and press conferences. There is a collection diary for the DSD yellow bags for packaging waste.
A3.10 MARKETS FOR END PRODUCTS
Materials recovered from MSW in Wiesbaden have a diverse range of uses, (see Table A3.6), and a range of product buyers including retailers, the public sector and the general public. Some recovered materials may be incinerated for energy recovery such as paper, plastics, tyres and wood. In the case of paper, the high quantities of recycled paper means that the price, especially for lower quality paper, is often low. A significant proportion of low quality paper, originating mostly from the household sector, is incinerated. The fraction of recycled paper going to incineration is gradually increasing due to the landfill ban for untreated and organic waste from 2005. Thermal and material recycling have equal status in the waste hierarchy in Germany.
Table A3.6 Examples of Recyclate Use
Material / Use
Paper / Some recycled; some incinerated for energy recovery.
Old (used ) wood / Divided into untreated recycled in the chipboard industry and treated (polluted) wood incinerated for energy recovery.
Cork / Production of insulating materials.
Fridges / CFCs are collected and delivered to the chemical industry.
Glass / Divided into colours and recycled by the glass industry (sold by ELW).
Tyres / Some re-used (re-treaded or re-sold), or incinerated for energy recovery.
Parks/garden material / Made into compost. That given a quality label is sold to the agricultural and vinicultural sector and small quantities are sold at the landfill (30 litre bags for DM 3).
Compost prices depend on the quantities bought, and range from DM 5 (£ 1.60) per cubic metre, if more than 500 cubic metres are purchased, to DM 25 (£ 8) per cubic metre, if 20 cubic metres or less are bought.
A3.11 FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Future developments in Wiesbaden include:
- an expansion of the composting capacity for parks and garden waste;
- introduction of additional recycling centres;
- extension of public relations work and waste handling advice; and
- developing infrastructure capacity and purchasing equipment.
[1] DM 1: £ 0.315 (FT 15/02/00)
[2] Warmer Bulletin, July 1998.[ Previous ] [ Contents ] [ Next ]
Published 26 April 2001
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