What a Wertstoffhof is
In Germany, household rubbish is sorted into several bins at home, but anything too big, too heavy or too special for those bins goes to a Wertstoffhof. The word literally means "recyclables yard". Depending on the region it is also called Recyclinghof (the usual term in Berlin and Hamburg), Wertstoffzentrum or Wertstoff-Center. They are all the same thing: a staffed site with separate containers for furniture, wood, metal, electronics, garden waste and more.
Each Wertstoffhof is run by the public waste authority responsible for your address, for example BSR in Berlin, AWM in Munich or Stadtreinigung Hamburg. That matters, because the rules are not national. Every authority sets its own opening hours, accepted materials, free allowances and fees.
To find the authority and the nearest site for your address, use our disposal finder. If you just need to know where a specific item belongs, try where does it go?.
Key German terms you will see
Sperrmüll: bulky household waste such as sofas, mattresses, wardrobes and carpets.
Elektroaltgeräte or Elektroschrott: old electrical and electronic appliances.
Grünschnitt: garden waste, such as branches, hedge cuttings, leaves and grass.
Bauschutt: building rubble, for example tiles, bricks and concrete.
Altholz: waste wood, sorted into categories A I (untreated) to A IV (treated with wood preservatives, such as railway sleepers or vine stakes)10.
Schadstoffe or Problemstoffe: hazardous household waste such as paint, solvents and chemicals.
Schadstoffmobil: a mobile collection truck for hazardous waste that stops at fixed places on fixed dates.
What you can drop off
Most sites accept the following from private households, although not every site takes everything:
Material | Usually accepted? | Typical conditions |
|---|---|---|
Bulky waste (Sperrmüll) | yes | free up to a household amount, fee above |
Electrical appliances | yes | usually free for households |
Garden waste | yes, at many sites | often free up to a daily limit |
Building rubble | small amounts only | almost always charged, with a cap |
Waste wood | yes | often counted together with bulky waste |
Hazardous waste | only where there is a hazardous-waste counter | otherwise the Schadstoffmobil |
Car tyres | at some sites | usually a fee per tyre |
Batteries, LED and energy-saving bulbs | yes | free |
Paper, glass, metal, textiles | yes | free |
Since 1 January 2025, German waste authorities have been required to collect textile waste separately, and to collect bulky waste in a way that allows reuse and recycling7. That is why many sites now have separate containers for upholstered furniture, wood and hard plastics.
Not every site has a hazardous-waste counter. In Berlin, for example, the ordinary recycling centres accept no hazardous waste apart from household batteries, fluorescent tubes, energy-saving lamps, LEDs and car batteries; paint and chemicals go to dedicated hazardous-waste sites4.
Free amounts and fees: real city examples
There is no nationwide free allowance. These examples come from the official websites of each authority and apply only in that city:
City | Bulky waste | Other examples |
|---|---|---|
Berlin (BSR) | free up to 3 m³; electrical appliances also free | hazardous waste: 20 kg per type per day free |
Hamburg (Stadtreinigung) | free for private customers | rubble €18 per started 100 litres (max 500 l); car tyres €7.50 each (max 5) |
Munich (AWM) | 2 m³ per day free for Munich residents | larger amounts and certain waste types charged |
Stuttgart (AWS) | free twice a year up to 3 m³ with a delivery slip | garden waste max 2 m³ per day; rubble up to 60 l for €6 |
Opening hours vary too. In Munich all recycling centres open from 8 am to 6 pm, but the last drop-off is 15 minutes before closing1. Saturdays tend to be very busy everywhere, so a weekday morning is usually the quickest time to go.
Proof of address
Recycling centres only accept waste produced in their own area, and many check this at the gate. Bring ID that shows your address:
Munich asks private customers for proof of residence, such as an ID card, a waste-fee notice or a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)2.
Stuttgart accepts, among others, an ID card, a passport together with a rental contract, a registration certificate or a fee notice. If someone delivers for you, they need a signed authorisation form (Vollmacht) and a copy of your ID6.
Berlin only accepts waste produced in Berlin. People living outside Berlin must prove that the waste comes from Berlin, for example with the original ID card of the person who owns it4.
If you have a passport rather than a German ID card, your Meldebescheinigung is the easiest proof. You receive it when you register your address; see registration deadline.
Trailers, vans and business waste
Whether you can arrive with a trailer depends on the site's rules. Stuttgart allows cars, cars with trailers and vans up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight6. Berlin allows private cars and any rented or borrowed vehicle, and its quantity limits apply per vehicle, not per person4.
In Berlin, bulky waste, waste wood, scrap metal and hard plastics delivered together count as one load with a 3 m³ cap. If you are over the cap, you may not unload part of it. BSR gives an example: with 4 m³ of bulky waste and a fridge, the fridge is accepted but the bulky waste is turned away4. As a rule of thumb, BSR says the boot of a Multivan holds about 3 m³.
Business waste is a different matter. Berlin does not accept waste from trades, offices or practices at its recycling centres4. Munich does not let businesses drop off waste created at their customers' premises2. If you hire a removal or clearance company, it normally disposes of the waste itself through commercial facilities.
Checklist before you go
Check the right site, its opening hours and accepted materials in the disposal finder.
Bring ID with your address or your Meldebescheinigung.
Sort your load at home by material: wood, metal, electronics, bulky waste, garden waste.
Take removable batteries out of devices and drain oil and fuel from lawnmowers.
Keep paint and chemicals in their original, closed containers.
Bring work gloves, as you unload yourself.
Have cash or a card ready in case a fee applies.
Common mistakes
Turning up at the wrong site: waste from a neighbouring district is often refused.
Mixed loads: sites expect sorted waste, and mixed construction and demolition waste is refused in Berlin4.
Bringing ordinary household rubbish: Stuttgart, for example, does not accept residual waste at its recycling centres6.
Overloading one car: limits usually apply per vehicle per day.
Alternatives to the recycling centre
For paint, solvents and chemicals, many cities run a Schadstoffmobil. Hazardous waste must not be mixed with other waste during collection7.
Shops also take back old electronics. Retailers with at least 400 m² of sales space for electrical goods, and grocery stores with at least 800 m² of total sales space that regularly sell electrical goods, must take back an old device of the same type free of charge when you buy a new one. They must also accept small devices no larger than 25 cm in any dimension without a purchase, up to three per device type8. Any shop selling portable batteries must take used ones back free of charge9.
Moving house? Add your recycling-centre trips to your moving checklist. If you need to park a van outside your flat on moving day, read our guide to the no-parking zone for moving.
Information current as of 6 November 2026.
