Recently, there have been reports of the amendment to the Commercial Waste Ordinance facing potential rejection in the German Bundesrat. This would send out the wrong signal. Despite all the criticism regarding the details, the aim of the amendment remains valid: to make the existing provisions of the Commercial Waste Ordinance more stringent and easier to enforce. The aim is to further improve separate collection. Optimised separate collection is a precondition for high-quality recycling.

Particularly in light of the current geopolitical crises and the strategic importance of resilience for Germany as a production location, it is essential to unlock the recycling potential within the commercial waste stream. Circular economy makes an important contribution to transforming Germany into a more resilient production location. The actions of legislators and regulators must reflect this importance.

The panel aims to examine the perspectives of waste producers on the one hand and the waste management sector on the other (including both the viewpoint of a sorting plant operator and that of an operator of a waste-to-energy plant), and to consider the particular importance of clear regulations and enforcement.