Page 89 from: May 2006
This means that the material from
almost 6 million tonnes of paper pack-
aging is recycled every year.
Used glass – an ideal candidate for recy-
cling – is also subject to the law on
packaging. Its use in glass production
not only cuts the consumption of raw materials
but also reduces energy requirements by up to
0.3% for every percent of waste glass added to the
process. Over 3 million tonnes of used glass are col-
lected each year in Germany, either in special street
containers according to colour, or in designated hou-
sehold bins. This glass is automatically freed of
foreign material and labelling, crushed and then
chiefly used to produce new bottles and containers
for beverages. Today, the proportion of recovered
glass used in glass production is higher than 90% in
some cases.
Batteries and packaging
Nowadays in Germany, used batteries can be
returned to over 160 000 collection points in shops
and municipal facilities. Over 1 billion batteries and
rechargeable battery packs are sold every year in
Germany – the equivalent of around 30 000 tonnes.
In 2004, the battery recycling rate was 77%. In
addition, there are around 14 million car batteries,
almost all of which are recycled. The principle aim
here is to prevent harmful substances such as mer-
cury and lead from entering the environment.
The story of the implementation of legislation on
packaging is also a highly encouraging one. All the
specified targets relating to the collection and recy-
cling of packaging made of glass, tinplate, alumini-
um, plastic and paper, as well as to liquid product
cartons, are now being met.
The process of collection and recycling is subject
to the Dual System, which was established by
manufacturers, retailers and the packaging indust-
ry in conjunction with the waste processing indust-
ry. The system is financed by the allocation of licen-
ces enabling participants to use the ‘Green Dot’
mark on their packaging. For many years, one com-
pany – Cologne-based Duale System Deutschland
AG – organised the collection, sorting and recycling
of such packaging. Today, and largely at the insis-
tence of German and EU anti-trust authorities, a
number of dual system companies (eg, Interseroh
and Landbell) now compete with each other, espe-
cially for the lightweight packaging that is collected
in yellow household bags and bins for recyclable
waste. By contrast, there are a variety of regional
collection systems in place for the heavier glass and
paper fractions.
Recycling technology
Currently, more than 10 million tonnes of packa-
ging waste is recycled in Germany each year. This
success story has been accompanied by a conti-
nuous advancement in recycling technology.
For example, today’s sorting technology is so advan-
ced that it separates fully automatically those mate-
rials in the yellow recycling bins and is also being tes-
ted to extract recyclable materials from the refuse
that lands in the grey bins for residual waste. Such
technology not only comprises the traditional sorting
processes of sieving, sifting. magnetic/swirl separa-
tion and picking, but also features modern systems
such as short-range infra-red recognition. Such tech-
nology is able, for example, to distinguish and sort
the various plastic materials used in packaging, such
as PE, PET, PP and PS. This purity of sorting boosts
the quality of the materials recovered and thereby
their value for reprocessing into secondary plastics.
WEEE recycling
Since March 24 this year, all manufacturers of
electrical and electronic equipment in Germany
have been legally obliged to take back used large
and small household appliances, communications
hardware, consumer electronics and neon tubes.
Moreover, they must do this free of charge. Local
authorities have to provide collection facilities for
such equipment. But from this point onward, manu-
facturers and importers of such goods are responsi-
ble for all further disposal, including logistics, sor-
ting, dismantling, processing, the recovery of recy-
clable materials, and the environmentally
compatible disposal of any hazardous substances.
All in all, this involves around 1.1 million tonnes
of electrical and electronic scrap a year. On the one
hand, this contains raw materials such as steel, alu-
minium, copper, platinum and gold, all of which are
becoming more and more valuable on the world
market. On the other, it is also important to ensure
the environmentally compatible disposal of poten-
tially harmful elements such as picture tubes con-
taining lead and cadmium, capacitors, and compo-
nents treated with flameproof agents, such as prin-
ted-circuit boards and plastic housings.
Major source of turnover
Today, recycling and waste disposal has become a
major economic factor. Throughout Europe, this sec-
tor now generates a turnover of more than Euro 100
billion and employs up to 1.5 million people. In
Germany alone, the waste disposal industry provi-
des work for over 240 000 employees and creates a
turnover of around Euro 37 billion. About half of this
is generated by the 900 or so com-
panies belonging to the Federal
Association of the Berlin-based
German Waste Disposal Industry
(BDE), which is also the organiser
of this year’s Entsorga-Enteco
exhibition taking place in Cologne
on October 24-27. Together, these
companies are responsible for dis-
posing of around 60% of all house-
hold waste in Germany, as well as
85% of all industrial waste and
95% of all hazardous waste.
U R B A N M I N I N G
Dr Stephan Harmeling is
Managing Director of the
Federation of the German
Waste Management Industry
(BDE). He can be reached at:
Each European currently produces over
530 kg of household waste per year.
Currently, more than 10 million tonnes of pack-
aging waste is recycled in Germany each year.
Recycling International • May 2006 89
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