Munich to split household waste charges into basic and service fees from 2028

Munich's waste charges are to be restructured from the 2028 charging period, with bills made up of a basic charge and a service charge. The city council's municipal committee has approved the new charging model proposed by Munich's waste management company, the Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München (AWM). The final decision will be taken by the full city council at its meeting on 30 September.

At present, all of Munich's municipal waste services are funded through the residual waste charge. Besides residual waste collection, this covers organic and waste paper collection, recycling centres, the mobile hazardous waste collection service, used clothing collection, treatment plants and the soil works, as well as waste advice, customer service and environmental education.

Under the new model, the basic charge will cover costs that arise regardless of how much waste an individual unit produces, such as maintaining vehicles and bins, disposal facilities, IT, administration, and advice and service provision. All units connected to municipal waste disposal will contribute to these shared costs. The service charge will reflect the disposal services actually used, based on the type and size of bin and how often it is emptied.

Organic and paper bins will remain cheaper than residual waste bins, so households that avoid residual waste and separate organic waste and paper properly can continue to save on charges. The total amount of costs to be funded will not change as a result of the switch. The city says the aim is to make the charges more transparent, easier to understand and more closely linked to who causes the costs, while keeping incentives to reduce waste and separate it well.

Munich is following a model already used in other large German cities, including Berlin and Hamburg. Charges are calculated for three-year periods, and the AWM is not allowed to make a profit from them. If income exceeds permitted costs, this is taken into account in the next period's calculation, while rising or uncovered costs can lead to higher charges.

The actual level of charges from 2028 has not yet been set. It will be determined when charges are calculated for the new three-year period. Waste charges are levied under the Bavarian Waste Management Act and the Municipal Charges Act.