A. Waste Management A.1. Introduction and General Issues on Hazardous Wastes and Solid Wastes

The objective of the German government’s policy on waste is to achieve a recyclingbased economy that conserves resources and reduces adverse impacts on the environment. The aim is to increase and optimise the efficient use of raw materials, to maximise recovery quotas and to permanently remove from our environment any residual waste that can no longer be used. This will lead to a substance management within closed substance cycles, i.e. turning today’s trash into tomorrow’s treasure-trove. Activities on waste are part of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety’s action programme to increase the productivity of resources.