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"Organic waste still often ends up in the residual waste," criticizes the German Environmental Aid
Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa
With organic waste against the gas crisis?
According to its own statements, Germany's waste industry could double its gas production if organic waste were to be collected nationwide via organic bins.
"Currently, the biogas plants cover about one percent of German gas requirements, we could increase this value to two percent," said Peter Kurth, President of the Waste Management Association BDE, the dpa news agency.
Biomethane could replace natural gas in all areas of application.
A biowaste system has been mandatory since 2015.
From Kurth's point of view, some cities and districts do not or only partially comply with the regulation.
He urged countries to take tougher action.
"Organic waste still often ends up in the residual waste," agrees Thomas Fischer from the German Environmental Aid.
39 percent of the residual waste in this country is organic waste.
In order to meet the legal requirements, however, brown bins are not absolutely necessary.
There are also collection points to which citizens can bring the organic waste.
This satisfies the requirements of the Closed Substance Cycle Act.
Examples are Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Regensburg (Bavaria), where bring systems exist.
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt (Thuringia) plans to introduce it in early 2023.
Kurth appeals to the cities and districts to advertise the use of existing bio-waste bins more extensively and thereby increase the quantities: "The production of more bio-methane is important for climate protection and for Germany's independence from gas imports."
Looking ahead to winter, when a gas shortage could hit the industry, the industry official said the one percentage point increase in gas supplies would be another step "to overcome the problem and become independent of energy imports."
However, another problem is that more and more biogas plants are being shut down in Germany.
In 2020 and 2021 there were more than 200 biogas plants.
So far, there has been no sustainable strategy for dealing with biogas.
(Read more here: Why German biogas plants help little in times of war)
bbr/dpa
