Recycling
Recycling rate
By accounting and collecting certain types of waste separately, we can recycle them and generate revenues for specific waste.
VOLUME OF WASTE ACCORDING TO TYPE OF WASTE | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
Construction waste | 8,342 | 7,656 | 10,838 | |
Recycling | 8,069 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 273 | – | ‒ | |
Scrap | 327 | 331 | 309 | |
Recycling | 327 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 0.1 | – | ‒ | |
Electronic scrap | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.9 | |
Recycling | 3.3 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 0.5 | – | ‒ | |
Municipal waste | 55.3 | 53.6 | 57.6 | |
Recycling | 23.7 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 31.6 | – | ‒ | |
Paper | 37.9 | 31.4 | 25.4 | |
Recycling | 37.2 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 0.7 | – | ‒ | |
Waste oil | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | |
Recycling | 1.4 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 0.2 | – | ‒ | |
Other 1) | 61.7 | 58.1 | 55.6 | |
Recycling | 32.5 | – | ‒ | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 29.2 | – | ‒ | |
Total waste | 8,830 | 8,134 | 11,288 | |
Recycling | 8,495 | 7,771 | 11,025 | |
Thermal utilization and disposal | 335 | – | ‒ | |
Recorded for the first time in 2021 according to the new GRI Standard 306:
Waste, thus only limited previous year’s figures available.
Period: October 1 to September 30.
Individual values do not add up due to rounding differences.
Excluding DB Arriva. DB Cargo AG is the only part of the DB Cargo business unit included.
1) For example paint, varnish, sludge and other maintenance-related waste.
In 2021, about 0.7 million tons more waste was generated. The main driver was the construction waste, which increased by about 9%. At 96%, the recycling rate remains at the previous year’s level. By using targeted measures, such as selective decommissioning and contractual binding of sorting and recycling facilities, we kept the share of recyclable waste high and the share of waste destined for disposal or incineration at a very low level.
The new strategy for disposing of mixed municipal waste, which aims to recycle as much of the recyclable material contained therein as possible, is showing signs of success. For example, the amount of municipal waste recycled increased significantly. Municipal waste only accounts for a small share of our total waste generation, but it is the most visible fraction in our trains and stations. Since the beginning of 2019, we have been reassigning contracts for waste disposal nationwide, with contracts mainly being awarded for sorting services at pretreatment plants. Qualified waste disposal companies sort the mixed waste in state-of-the-art sorting facilities, thereby increasing the amount of reusable materials to be sent for high-grade recycling. Thanks to state-of-the-art sorting methods, at least 85% of recyclable material contained in all the waste delivered to the facilities can now be clearly separated for recycling.
| USE OF MATERIALS IN TRACK INFRASTRUCTURE | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
Ballast (thousand t) | 3,638 | 3,186 | 2,782 | |
Share of recycling (%) | 10.7 | 16.2 | 13.3 | |
Machine ballast processing (million t) | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | |
thereof directly recycled | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | |
Concrete ties (thousand) | 2,590 | 2,400 | 2,143 | |
Share of recycling (%) | 10.4 | 10.0 | 5.7 | |
Period: October 1 to September 30.
We have established a material cycle for the ballast and concrete ties used in the maintenance of the track network.
- In 2021, about 2.8 million tons of worn-out ballast from the track network was removed and processed into recycled ballastno. 51 in certified disposal facilities for us to use or as grit or crushed sand for road construction. As part of our maintenance measures, some of the ballast was processed in machines on-site by track-bound ballast cleaning machines or mobile processing plants and immediately reused. This significantly reduces the amount of new ballast required and the associated transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.
- In 2021, about 1.8 million concrete ties that could no longer be used were removed. The concrete tieno. 73 are, where feasible, reused in the track network. Concrete ties that are not suitable for reuse in the track network are recycled by certified disposal companies and used for other applications, such as road or path construction.
VOLUME OF HAZARDOUS AND NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE / thousand t | 2021 | |
Hazardous waste | 477 | |
Share of recycling (%) | 67.9 | |
Share of thermal utilization and disposal (%) | 32.1 | |
Non-hazardous waste | 8,352 | |
Share of recycling (%) | 97.8 | |
Share of thermal utilization and disposal (%) | 2.2 | |
Total waste | 8,830 | |
First recorded in 2021 according to the new GRI Standard 306: Waste, hence no previous year’s figures available.
Period: October 1 to September 30.
Individual values may not add up due to rounding differences.
Excluding DB Arriva. DB Cargo AG is the only part of the DB Cargo business unit included.
Of the waste generated in 2021, about 95% was classified as non-hazardous. This includes, for example, municipal waste and the majority of construction waste. The remainder, about 5%, includes waste that presents a risk to health or the environment – for example waste oil or contaminated waste wood. Special procedures ensure that this waste is disposed of safely. Here, too, we consider the conservation of resources and look at opportunities for recycling or thermal utilization of waste.
Outlook
| ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT | 2021 | 2022 | |
Recycling rate (%) | 96.2 | >95 | |
- We will continue to keep the recycling rate at a high level in 2022.