The city council’s Municipal Committee approved this payment model on 17 September, and the final word now rests with the plenary session on 30 September. How much residents of the city will have to pay for waste collection is not yet known.
The new basic charge will take effect in 2028
At present, the waste bill depends on the size of the bin and how often it is emptied. Munich‘s waste management company (AWM) expects the amount of waste to decline over time. But maintaining the infrastructure and waste disposal does not get any cheaper as a result, so the costs will be divided into a fixed and a variable part. Similar models are already in use in Berlin and Hamburg.
The basic charge will cover costs that do not depend on the amount of waste produced by an individual household: the operation of recycling collection points and of paper and organic waste collection.
How the costs will be divided
The variable part will make up 60 percent of household costs. It will increase in proportion to the size of the bin. A 120-litre bin will cost half as much as a 240-litre one. The remaining 40 percent will comprise the basic charge.
- variable part (bin size and collection frequency): 60% of costs;
- basic charge: 40% of costs;
- paper and organic waste bins will also be included in the new calculations.
What this means for Munich residents
The total amount to be paid under the new bills is not changing. The city authorities hope to make the calculations clearer for residents and to preserve the incentive to throw away less and to sort waste better.
The waste collection fee for 2028 will first be recalculated and only then submitted to the city council for approval. Yellow bins will appear in all households this year, but will remain sealed until their first emptying.
Still unclear is whether the new charges will include payment for the waste sorting that we are obliged to do ourselves at home.
The outcome of the new charges will be decided by the vote on 30 September. If the city council approves the new financial model, residents will be left to await the main thing: the amount of the basic charge and the final sum on the bill.
