Umweltbundesamt | For our environment

Waste | Resources

Resource consumption is essential to our existence. Global population and economic growth are increasing the pressure on natural resources such as raw materials, land and biodiversity. The German Environment Agency pursues the key aim to reduce resource consumption and the associated environmental impact overall and along the entire value-adding chain. The avoidance of waste and the use of residual and waste materials as secondary raw materials and the energy recovery of waste can also make a meaningful contribution to resource conservation, as can resource-efficient production processes, products and utilisation concepts.

Food waste causes four percent of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions

a basket with a mouldet bread roll, two rotten apples and a dried out lemon

UBA President Krautzberger: There is hardly any sector where waste avoidance is so easy. read more

Does electrical equipment have built-in breaking points?

It is quite common that electrical equipment becomes unexpectedly defective, and repair is either impossible or not worth the investment. read more

Waste disposal

A backhoe pushes together the waste of the waste landfill

Pursuant to Germany’s Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz law, waste is to be disposed of in a safe and environmentally compatible manner, whereby the top priority in this regard is protecting human health and the environment. Various waste treatment, recycling and disposal techniques are used, depending on the nature of the waste in question and the waste management objective. read more