Press | Umweltbundesamt

The amendment to the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) transposes important European requirements for drinking water protection into national law. Among other things, it provides for the introduction of risk-based drinking water protection, introduces new parameters and sets lower limits for pollutants such as chromium, arsenic and lead. read more

Sports boats and light aircraft as well as certain leisure equipment, such as bicycles, skis and musical instruments, contain fibre-reinforced composites (FRC). They are often durable, valuable and, as waste, ideally suited for preparation for reuse or recycling. However, structured processing is currently still considered uneconomical and therefore does not take place. read more

A new study for the German Environment Agency (UBA) foresees enormous tasks for the water supply along the Spree River if significantly less groundwater is pumped into the river with the end of brown coal mining in the Lausitz region. According to the study, in dry summer months this can lead to up to 75 per cent less water in the Spree locally. read more

Germany is a good place to bathe. This is confirmed by the EU Commission's report on the quality of European bathing waters, presented on 9 June 2023. According to the report, over 96 percent of the officially designated bathing water sites on lakes, rivers and coasts in Germany were rated "excellent" or "good". A total of 98 percent of all bathing water sites met the minimum requirements. read more

For seven years, the Marine Litter Round Table has been developing recommendations for actions against plastic pollution in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The contributors are meeting in Berlin with patrons, Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke, Minister for Environment of Lower Saxony Christian Meyer and UBA President Dirk Messner to present results. read more

The German Environment Agency (UBA) recommends measures to increase the lifespan of technological devices and gives advice on how consumers can protect themselves. read more

A broad alliance of politicians, businesses and associations is campaigning for better organic waste collection. On 26 May, the "Organic Waste Bin Day" will be declared for the first time in Germany. The aim is to increase the amount of separately collected organic waste and to reduce the amount of incorrectly discarded waste. read more

The new Single-Use Plastic Fund Act requires manufacturers to pay the cost of waste from single-use plastic products generated in streets or parks. For this, companies will pay a levy into the Single-Use Plastics Fund, which is managed by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and administered via the digital platform DIVID. read more