Berlin – November 04, 2026 -- Germany recovered 159.2 million tonnes of its 175.2 million tonnes of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in 2024, lifting the recovery rate to 90.9% from 90.4% in 2022, according to the 15th monitoring report of the Initiative Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau.
The report is based on official data from the Federal Statistical Office. It is the first survey built on the legal framework of the Mantelverordnung, the national ordinance package that took effect in 2023.
Waste volumes fall 15.7% as construction activity weakens
Mineral construction waste fell by 32.7 million tonnes from 207.9 million tonnes in 2022, a decline of 15.7%. Initiative spokesman Dr. Berthold Schäfer attributes the drop to the continued weakness of the construction sector. Demolition volumes follow construction investment, he said, and total demand moves with them.
Recovery reached 95.1% for granular fractions and 87.8% for soil and stones.
Recycled materials cover 13.2% of aggregate demand
The waste streams yielded 64.3 million tonnes of recycled construction materials. These covered 13.2% of Germany's 486.1 million tonnes of aggregate demand. Counting industrial by-products such as ashes and slags, the substitution rate rises to 17.5%.
Use of recycled materials in asphalt and concrete production rose 4% from 2022 to 23.3%.
Civil engineering gains while building construction lags 2012 levels
Civil engineering now produces about 17% more recycled construction materials than in 2012. Output from building construction fell 10% over the same period.
Because waste volumes and total demand move together, the substitution rate stays constant, Schäfer said, and further gains are limited.
Industry rejects doubling of substitution rate in national strategy
The initiative backs the federal government's goal of efficient resource use but says policy targets ignore practical conditions. The national circular economy strategy calls for a doubling of the substitution rate. Schäfer said this cannot be implemented in practice in the sector.
No measurable Mantelverordnung effect yet
The results show no discernible impact of the changed legal framework on the recovery of mineral substitute construction materials. Schäfer says weak construction activity masks any effects of the ordinance. The initiative hopes simplifications in the planned amendment to the Ersatzbaustoffverordnung (EBV) will allow recovery rates to rise further.