According to the latest report by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), published on the occasion of World Environment Day, the total volume of waste generated in Germany significantly declined in 2024. Based on the data, a total of 362.7 million tonnes of waste was generated in the country, representing a 4.6 percent decrease compared to the previous year. With this result, German waste generation has fallen back to the level of 2009. The decline was primarily driven by a drastic drop in construction and demolition waste, while municipal waste showed a slight increase. The country’s waste recovery rate remains stable at 82 percent.
Comprehensive Decline and Historical Context: Moderation Since the 2018 Peak
According to the official report by Destatis (Statistisches Bundesamt), published on June 1, 2026 (relying on preliminary 2024 data), Germany generated a total of 362.7 million tonnes of waste in that year. This volume is exceptionally low when examining the statistics of the past decade and a half. Compared to the previous year (2023), the total decrease amounts to 17.4 million tonnes, which equates to a decisive 4.6 percent reduction.
To find similarly low indicators in German statistics, one must go back in time to 2009. In that year, the total national waste volume was 359.4 million tonnes. The numbers also clearly show that the absolute negative record of the recent past, the highest waste generation volume, was recorded in 2018: at that time, this amount reached 417.2 million tonnes. Since the 2018 peak, national indicators have outlined a continuous, trending decline.
The Dominance of the Construction Industry and Its Drastic Decline
Examining the statistical office’s data in detail, it is clearly evident that the decrease in the national waste volume can be decisively attributed to a single sector: the German construction and demolition industry. In 2024, exactly half, i.e., 50 percent, of the total domestic waste generated still consisted of construction and demolition waste. Expressed in volume, this means 182.8 million tonnes of material.
However, it was precisely this highly weighted category that registered the most drastic, above-average decline compared to the base year. The volume of construction and demolition waste fell by 8.1 percent in a single year. In absolute terms, this means a shortfall of 16.0 million tonnes compared to 2023. Comparing this to the total national decrease of 17.4 million tonnes, it becomes clear that almost the entire reduction was generated by this sector.
Municipal, Industrial, and Secondary Waste Show a Mixed Picture
While the negative trend was clear in the construction industry, the processes are much more differentiated for other waste types. The second largest share of total German waste—with approximately a 15 percent share—was accounted for by secondary waste, totaling 56.1 million tonnes. This includes materials (e.g., composting and incineration residues) that have already passed through a waste treatment facility. For this category, the decrease was more moderate at 2.0 percent (1.1 million tonnes).
Other waste from production and trade accounted for 12 percent of the pie, amounting to 45.1 million tonnes. A 4.1 percent moderation (a decrease of 1.9 million tonnes) can also be observed in this area.
In contrast, the authority documented an increase in two areas:
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The volume of municipal waste from households, which accounts for 14 percent of total waste, increased slightly by 0.8 percent. Quantified, this means 49.3 million tonnes, an increase of 0.4 million tonnes in one year.
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A more significant increase of 4.5 percent was measured in the volume of waste from the mining and treatment of mineral resources (which represent an 8 percent weight in the statistics with 29.5 million tonnes), meaning an addition of 1.3 million tonnes.
Recycling and Recovery Rates Remained Stable
The efficiency of the German waste management industry is indicated by the fact that despite the huge volume, the recovery rate remains extremely high. Based on the figures published by the statistical office, 296.2 million tonnes of waste were recovered for utilization purposes in 2024. In total, this means an 82 percent recovery rate (Verwertungsquote) relative to the total amount generated. The report records that this 82 percent ratio has shown a stable, unchanged level since 2019.
Within the 296.2 million tonnes of recovered material, the processes must also be divided into two:
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69 percent of the volume was materially recycled (this represents classic, physical recycling processes).
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The remaining 13 percent was utilized for energetic purposes (meaning energy and heat were produced during the incineration of materials).
What Happens to the Remaining Waste? The Role of Landfills and Incinerators
The fate of the 18 percent of waste exempt from the recovery cycle is also transparently included in the report. The vast majority of this remaining amount, 16.3 percent of the total national data (59.1 million tonnes), was deposited in a traditional manner in landfills.
A much more negligible proportion, only 0.8 percent (2.9 million tonnes), was subjected to so-called thermal disposal. This covers incineration processes during which energy recovery no longer occurs. Finally, the remaining 1.2 percent (4.4 million tonnes) was subjected to other treatment and disposal methods.
Source:
The official press release No. 185 (PD26_185_321, published on June 1, 2026) by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), which serves as the basis for this article, is available in its original form at the following official government link: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2026/06/PD26_185_321.html