Studies show that improper disposal of waste is an environmental problem. In the area of organic waste, action is now being taken against this by law.
Regardless of whether you are a tenant or an owner, from 2025 there will be a new regulation for waste separation that refers to the well-known organic waste bin. In order to further reduce the plastic components in it and to keep an even better eye on the environment, violations can even result in fines.
As MyHomebook reports, among others, incorrect waste separation can, by law, have noticeable financial consequences for the first time next year. The background is the “Ordinance amending waste regulations”, a legal amendment from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) from 2022. This contains an amendment to the correct separation of waste for organic waste bins in order to protect the environment even more relieve.
In detail, this applies to all people who have their organic waste picked up by a disposal company. The relevant paragraph 2a, “Requirements for the removal of foreign substances”, was introduced specifically for this purpose and is scheduled to come into force in May 2025.
The legal adjustment is part of a Europe-wide legislation that aims to reduce the use of plastics. Accordingly, in Germany it is being introduced that organic waste from the organic waste bin may only contain a maximum of 1.0 percent foreign substances from the start of the deadline.
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These are so-called contaminants. They are found in organic waste due to incorrect waste separation and represent a major challenge, particularly in the areas of composting and biogas production. Since they are not degradable or are even harmful, contaminants can impair the quality of the end product, damage the processing facilities and pollute the environment.
Specific problems include the following:
In order to avoid these problems, it is crucial to improve the separation of organic waste and non-organic materials at the source, i.e. in households and in commercial waste disposal. This is precisely where the changed legislation will take effect in the future.
In concrete terms, this means: Waste disposal companies and municipalities are paying more attention to whether the organic waste bins are “of the same type”. Many municipalities carried out random checks on correct waste separation before the changeover. Anyone who violates environmental regulations is currently receiving warnings. However, fines are planned in the future.
According to MyHomebook, how high these are is at the discretion of the municipalities. For comparison: According to the Circular Economy Act, very high fines of up to 2,500 euros are stipulated for gross violations in the area of organic waste.
Sources: MyHomebook, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
This article was created using machine-assisted (AI) technology and was carefully reviewed by the editorial team before publication.
By Dana Neumann
The original for this article “New garbage rule: Anyone who is not careful with organic waste will pay a fine” comes from futurezone.de.