Germany currently produces about half as much residual waste as 35 years ago, compared to the old federal states. This is shown by a current analysis of municipal residual waste in Germany for the German Environment Agency.
The last such survey was conducted in 1985. Many more recyclable materials such as glass, paper and plastic are now collected separately. Nevertheless, many recyclable materials still end up in the residual waste bin where they do not belong. Bio-waste accounts for the largest share of this, averaging 39 percent. In urban regions, the bins contain more residual waste and more recyclable materials than in rural areas and suburbs.
The press release is available for download here.
The full report (in German language) can be downloaded here.