Meppen. The stricter biowaste ordinance is having an effect: the amount of waste is falling, but plastic remains the number one problem material. This is the main conclusion that emerges from the evaluation of the nationwide inspection campaign on October 10, in which the waste management company (AWB) of the district of Emsland also participated.
More than 40 municipal waste management companies checked more than 300,000 organic waste garbage cans throughout Germany. Over 9000 were not emptied due to incorrect filling. In the district of Emsland, around 2000 organic waste garbage cans were randomly checked between September 15 and October 10. Around 14 percent remained unemptied after the inspection due to significant misfilling. By comparison, around 21 percent of the garbage cans “failed” the last inspection in 2023.
“The figures have improved slightly compared to 2023, which shows that we are on the right track and that awareness of proper waste separation is growing. We must not let up now and must continue to strengthen this positive effect. Every correctly filled organic waste garbage can counts – for clean compost and for climate protection,” says District Councillor Dr. Michael Kiehl.
Although the stricter legal situation means that the demands on the AWB continue to increase, Operations Manager Heinz Bökers is satisfied with the campaign: “A lot of the feedback was constructive and supportive. We continue to focus on dialog and information – but we must also comply with the legal requirements and therefore act consistently”. As a result, Bökers explains, administrative offense proceedings can be initiated in the event of repeated incorrect filling.
Since the tightening of the Biowaste Ordinance in May 2025, stricter limits for foreign substances in biowaste have applied nationwide. No more than one percent of plastics and no more than three percent of contaminants in total may enter fermentation and composting plants via the biowaste collection. The amendment, which obliges all municipal waste disposal companies to carry out consistent checks, aims to ensure the quality of the compost produced, as too many contaminants jeopardize the recycling process. Plastic bags, compostable film bags, glass and metal are particularly problematic. “They have to be sorted out at great technical and economic expense – or, in the worst case, they end up on fields, in bodies of water or in the food chain. The amendment aims to prevent this,” Bökers explains.
