New BKV study: “Plastic-relevant waste streams”

The current study analyzes waste quantities, recycling routes and recycling potentials of plastics for the year 2023.
The present study “Plastic-Relevant Waste Streams in Germany 2023” is a new edition and continuation of a study from 2020, in which the actual waste streams were examined in detail for the first time in order to gain deeper insights into the composition and treatment of these wastes. Both studies were prepared by Conversio Market & Strategy GmbH on behalf of the BKV. The current study again looks at household and commercial plastic-related waste streams and identifies previously untapped potential for mechanical recycling.
According to the current analysis, a total of around 58 million tons of end-user waste was generated in Germany in 2023, of which 24 million tons were household waste and 34 million tons were commercial waste. These waste streams contained an average of almost 10 percent plastic, with a total volume of around 5.6 million tons – but with large variances depending on where the waste was generated. Depending on the waste stream, the plastic content was between 4 and 88 percent. For example, around 0.06 million tons of plastic were found in collections of end-of-life vehicles, while around 1.3 million tons of plastic were contained in collections of lightweight packaging from the dual systems. According to the study, the separate collection of packaging waste from industry and commerce contained 0.74 million tons of plastic in 2023. The recycling rate of the usable or processed fractions from the very heterogeneous waste streams also varies greatly, according to the study, and is around 8 percent for residual waste and end-of-life vehicle collections. The recycling rate for single-material commercial packaging from separate collections or PET bottle collections is over 85 percent. With an average of 75 percent, separate collection and recycling systems such as ERDE, the take-back and recycling system for crop plastics, and Rewindo, the recycling initiative for plastic windows, also show a fairly high recycling rate.
According to the authors, the results show that the separate collection of plastic-containing waste streams and their processing into unmixed fractions is of central importance for the further expansion of material recycling. They continue to see the greatest recycling potential for plastic waste in the area of LVP collections, as well as in mixed waste streams such as household residual waste and commercial waste that is recycled by private disposal companies.
A free summary can be downloaded here as a PDF (in German). The detailed full version (in German) for 600.00 euros can be ordered here >>.
Sources:
- BKV GmbH (29.1.2025)
- Photo: © Nick Fewings / Unsplash (Symbolbild)