Starting May 1, 2025, Germany will enforce stricter regulations for organic waste disposal, aiming to reduce contamination and improve recycling quality.
The new rules, announced by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV), state that organic waste must contain no more than 1% foreign substances. If this threshold is exceeded, waste collectors have the right to refuse to empty the bin.
Individuals who fail to sort their waste properly could face substantial fines—up to 2,500 euros. Random checks will be conducted to ensure compliance with the regulations, with the aim of encouraging more careful waste separation among private households and large-scale consumers, such as restaurants and retailers.
The new guidelines specify that organic waste should primarily consist of food scraps that have not been thermally processed, as well as plants, coffee grounds, eggshells, and fallen leaves. The focus is on preventing contaminants, such as glass, metals, cigarettes, ash, and diapers, from ending up in green bins. Even small amounts of these materials can disrupt the biological recycling process and render compost unusable.
Currently, around 5% of organic waste is contaminated with foreign materials. This contamination requires municipalities to allocate additional resources to remove it and complicates the compost recycling process.
