Waste management in North Rhine-Westphalia since June 1st 2005

As a result, there is an increased demand for treatment capacities in the 16 States of the Federal Republic both for municipal wastes and for commercial wastes. Municipal authorities, responsible for waste disposal of approx. 18 million inhabitants in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, have taken precautions and established necessary treatment plants in time. As regards municipal waste, thermal treatment outweighs the alternative options. Altogether treatment capacities amounting to 6 mio. Mg/y are located in 16 waste incinerators. In addition, capacities of scarcely 500,000 Mg/y of four mechanical-biological waste treatment plants, capacities of mechanical treatment plants (pre-sorting and/or recovering valuable materials) and co-incineration capacities (using high calorific waste fractions in cement kilns and power stations) are available for waste treatment.