- Scant availability of landfill space due to escalating construction debris accumulation
Germany's Landfill Capacities are Rapidly Shrinking. As per data from the Federal Statistical Office, out of the 1,001 landfills operational in 2022, 547 are anticipated to reach the end of their lifespan by 2032, making up more than half. This means that the remaining landfill space will significantly decrease, falling nearly by a third to approximately 300 million cubic meters, unless existing landfills are expanded or new ones built.
The construction sector, which generates over half of Germany's waste, is particularly concerned about an impending waste management crisis. According to industry reports, Bavaria is a trouble spot.
Issues have been magnified by the Waste Substitution Ordinance, or WSO, implemented a year ago. Its purpose is to process and reuse construction waste and excavated soil. However, the rules coupled with new soil protection regulations have potentially reversed the intended political objective.
A survey by four construction and recycling associations among their member companies suggests this: Only 5% of the 156 companies surveyed reported an increase in recycled construction waste and excavated soil, 52% saw no change, and 42% stated that less was being processed for reuse. "As a result, due to a lack of recycling options, disposal remains the only option," says Andreas Pocha, managing director of the German Demolition Association.
The demand for recycled materials has also decreased, as many clients - including authorities - favor primary materials. "States and municipalities must commit to building with recycled materials," demands Felix Pakleppa, managing director of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry (ZDB), which represents medium-sized construction companies. "The Waste Substitution Ordinance is on the brink of failure."
Moreover, its regulations appear to be excessively complex: "Authority representatives are often poorly informed and cannot provide much help with the implementation of WSO requirements," complains Katrin Mees, managing director of the Federal Association of Recycling Building Materials.
The impending waste management issue is expected to worsen over the coming years, according to assessments in the construction and building materials recycling industry. "The situation is tense in the federal states with high construction activity and limited landfill capacities, such as Bavaria or Hesse, where the availability of suitable landfills has been a bottleneck for years," says Andreas Pocha. The ZDB also describes the situation in Bavaria as "particularly tense."
This is because the fewer landfills there are in Germany, the longer the transport distances. In the Bavarian construction industry, there are complaints that construction waste has to be transported as far as Thuringia for disposal.
At the end of 2022, there were still 340 operational landfills in Bavaria, according to figures from the Bavarian State Office of Statistics in Fürth. By 2032, 200 of these are expected to reach the end of their operating life. These sites already have little remaining capacity, and the current remaining residual capacities in Bavaria are even higher than in 2018.
The Bavarian Ministry of the Environment is currently processing ten construction projects in the permitting procedure.
Waste Management is a state responsibility. Consequently, it's the state governments who are responsible for planning replacement capacities, not the federal government. "Which landfill sites will actually reach the end of their operating phase by 2032 depends on various factors, such as variable waste volumes and any expansion plans," says a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment in Munich. "Currently, there are about 10 landfill expansion and new construction projects underway across Bavaria alone for landfill classes I/II." The landfill classes indicate which materials can be stored there, with classes 1 and 2 used for construction waste and road debris, among others.
Germany produces around 400 million tons of waste annually, with slightly less due to weak economic conditions compared to the end of the previous decade. Most of it is recycled, but out of the 399 million tons of waste in 2022, 65 million tons ended up in landfills. There are no figures yet for 2023.
This issue has been a concern in specialist circles for decades. Two decades ago, there were over 2,000 active landfills with 668 million cubic meters of remaining capacity nationwide. Currently, it is estimated that less than a quarter of these landfills will still be available by 2032.
The Federal Ministry for the Environment: No Indications of Increased Landfilling
If the Waste Substitution Regulation were to actually lower the recycling rate of construction waste, it would hasten the reduction of remaining capacities. "We have not yet received any concrete indications that the two regulations are leading to an increased disposal of usable construction waste," the Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin responds to the criticism. A first evaluation of the Waste Substitution Regulation is expected by August 2025.
Communities Do Not Want Landfills
Landfills are naturally unpopular. "The states are increasingly facing a hostile attitude towards landfills at the local level," the Building Industry Association reports. "Since new landfills are politically difficult to implement, both the federal government and the states must actively address this issue of nationwide relevance. A federal-state landfill strategy is required."
If a landfill crisis were to occur one day, it would be a nationwide issue that could not be contained within state politics. "At present, we have no indications that the capacities for waste disposal in Germany will not be sufficient in the medium term," the Federal Ministry for the Environment states. Under the auspices of the Federal Environment Agency, a research project on waste disposal technology is currently underway, which also involves determining landfill capacities. First results are expected in 2025.
The European Parliament can provide assistance to the Commission in addressing waste management issues, given the importance of the Waste Substitution Ordinance and the expected waste management crisis. The anticipated end of operational lifespan for many landfills in Germany, particularly in regions like Bavaria, will necessitate assistance from bodies like the European Parliament to find sustainable solutions.
Given the potential for reduced landfill space and longer transport distances due to fewer operational landfills, the European Parliament can play a crucial role in advising on innovative waste management strategies that promote recycling and the reuse of construction waste and excavated soil.
