German waste arisings sank in 2012. Gross waste arisings came in at 380.6 tonnes, representing a decrease of 1.6 per cent against 2011, according to preliminary figures from the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Net arisings, excluding residues generated at waste treatment facilities, lay at 333.6 million tonnes, around 9.2 million tonnes or 2.7 per cent lower than the prior-year value.
The decrease could be attributed chiefly to the lower waste arisings from mining and the treatment of mineral resources. Hazardous waste arisings stood at 23.7 million tonnes in 2012, an increase of 2.3 per cent.
While total waste arisings fell, a share of 300.2 million tonnes of waste underwent material recycling or energy recovery. The resulting recovery rate rose to 79 per cent, marking the second year in a row that the figure had increased. The recycling rate, the amount of input material undergoing material recovery as a share of total arisings, stood at 70 per cent in 2012, up from 69 per cent in 2011.
