Anja Siegesmund leaves the BDE
Change of leadership at the BDE: Executive President Anja Siegesmund hands over her office to Vice President Matthias Harms on 31 January 2026.
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Around 5.9 million tonnes of packaging from private final consumption was recycled in 2021. The dual systems thus achieved around three per cent more than in the previous year and complied with the legal requirements.
The figures were published by the Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (ZSVR) on 15 December 2022. The dual systems are responsible for the collection, sorting and recycling of used sales packaging and are obliged to document the corresponding volume flows to the ZSVR on an annual basis.
Axel Subklew, spokesperson for the „Waste separation works“ initiative, is satisfied: „Together with their service providers from the waste disposal and recycling industry - and not least with the help of consumers - the dual systems were able to improve the recycling rates for 2021 in all material fractions.“ Higher recycling rates already apply for the current year 2022. „The commitment and willingness of private end consumers to separate waste correctly continues to be of central importance for increasing recycling volumes. They need to be convinced, informed and motivated to participate.“
Quota exceeded
With their „Waste separation works“ initiative, a nationwide educational campaign, the dual systems inform consumers about how to correctly separate packaging and residual waste and thus make an active contribution to resource and climate protection. The aim: Collection volumes and quality of packaging waste for sorting and recycling are to be further improved.
Of the plastic packaging involved in the dual systems, 65.5 per cent was mechanically recycled. seven percentage points more than required by law. A recycling rate of 113.4 percent was achieved for aluminium packaging and 100.1 percent for ferrous metal packaging. Of glass packaging, 84.8 per cent was recycled and 90.9 per cent of paper, cardboard and carton packaging. The statutory recycling rate was also exceeded for beverage carton packaging and other composite packaging at 76.2 per cent and 69.6 per cent respectively. The rate can exceed 100 per cent, if the dual systems have recycled more packaging than they are involved in. („licenced“) were.
According to the ZSVR report, the overall recycling rate of 51.6 per cent achieved for lightweight packaging means that the dual systems not only met the legal requirements (50 per cent), They were able to improve the result compared to the previous year. This rate refers to the total collection volume from the yellow bins and yellow sacks, including the so-called misdirected waste contained therein with an approximate share of 30 per cent (according to the dual systems' own calculations).
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