What does hazardous waste disposal cost in Munich?
Liquid paints, varnishes, adhesives and solvents cost 7,50 €6,30 € per litre with us, waste oil and fuel residues 9,50 €7,98 € per litre, acids and alkalis 12,00 €10,08 € per litre, aerosol cans with contents remaining 3,50 €2,94 € each, and fluorescent tubes 4,50 €3,78 € each. A base fee of 45,00 €37,82 € applies once per order. Batteries we take free of charge, dried emulsion paint costs nothing extra, and we do not accept asbestos.
Most providers write "on request" at this point. That is convenient for them and useless to you — so here is the full table and the rules behind it.
The full rate table
| Type of waste | Rate |
|---|---|
| Liquid paints, varnishes, adhesives, solvents | 7,50 €6,30 € /l |
| Waste oil, heating oil, fuel residues | 9,50 €7,98 € /l |
| Acids, alkalis, pesticides and herbicides | 12,00 €10,08 € /l |
| Aerosol cans with contents remaining | 3,50 €2,94 € /item |
| Fluorescent tubes, energy-saving bulbs | 4,50 €3,78 € /item |
| Base fee for hazardous waste, per order | 45,00 €37,82 € |
| Batteries and rechargeable cells | free (retailer take-back) |
| Dried emulsion paint | no hazardous-waste fee |
| Asbestos and asbestos-containing materials | not accepted |
The base fee covers separate transport, dangerous-goods compliance and the disposal certificate. It applies once per order, not per container.
Where these rates come from: the Munich tariff
The figures derive from the published tariff of Munich's municipal waste authority (AWM). Four numbers from it are worth knowing, because they explain why disposal costs anything at all.
25 kilograms per day, free. The AWM accepts problem waste from private individuals free of charge — but only in household quantities and only up to 25 kilograms per day, at the recycling centres and the mobile collection.
€3 per kilogram above that. Anyone with more can use the Wertstoffhöfe plus in Langwied and Freimann. They charge €3 per kilogram, and from the first kilogram, not from the 26th. Payment is by EC card only; cash is not accepted.
At most 25 litres per container at the Giftmobil. The mobile collection accepts problem waste in household quantities: a maximum of 25 litres or 25 kilograms per container, and no more than two containers. A 60-litre drum is therefore excluded even if it is only half full.
500 kilograms per year for businesses. Businesses may dispose of at most 500 kilograms of problem waste per year via the Giftmobil. That is enough for a small trade business, not for clearing a workshop. Larger quantities go through the regular documented route.
Why a clearance company cannot use the free allowance
This is the point almost every competitor avoids, and the most common question on the phone: the recycling centre takes this for free — why are you charging?
Because the allowance is tied to private households. Waste we remove from your property arises in the course of our commercial activity. The household quantity does not apply to us, regardless of where the waste originally came from. We pay the commercial disposal price and have to document the route.
A provider who tells you disposal is "included" has still priced it in — you simply cannot see the line. We prefer to itemise it: you can check it against the weighbridge ticket, and if less arises, you pay less.
The easiest way to pay nothing: dry the paint out
Dried emulsion paint is not hazardous waste. It goes with general waste and costs no surcharge.
So in the two weeks before our appointment, open the half-full tins of wall paint and leave them — or, faster, stir in sawdust, cat litter or crumpled newspaper. The hazardous-waste fee for those tins then disappears entirely. Ten half-full 2.5-litre tins is around 12 litres, so roughly €90 saved.
The distinction matters: this applies to water-based emulsion paint, that is ordinary wall paint. Solvent-based varnishes, wood stains, thinners and oils remain hazardous waste, even dried. If in doubt, read the label: a hazard symbol or a reference to solvents means it belongs in the chargeable stream.
Waste oil: you have a right to free take-back
Waste oil is governed by a rule few people know. Under the German Waste Oil Ordinance, the dealer who sold you engine or gearbox oil must take back the same quantity of waste oil free of charge — provided you produce the receipt. That extends to the oil filter and the oily waste generated during the change.
Without a receipt, DIY stores and petrol stations typically charge €5 to €15 per litre. It is therefore well worth keeping the till slip from buying the oil.
For us that means: if you have the receipt and the time, return the oil to the dealer yourself. That is the cheapest route. Whatever is left, or has no receipt, we take at 9,50 €7,98 € per litre.
What we do not accept: asbestos
We do not accept asbestos or asbestos-containing materials. Where it is suspected we stop work at that point and refer you to a certified specialist. Removal and disposal require documented expertise under TRGS 519 — this is occupational-safety law, not a matter of goodwill.
Typical places it turns up in older Munich buildings:
- Corrugated cement sheets on garages, sheds and carports
- Planters, window sills and pipes made of asbestos cement
- Old night-storage heaters
- Floor tiles and the associated black adhesive, from the 1960s to 1980s
- Gaskets and insulation on old boilers
If you suspect any of it, photograph it and send the picture in. Then we settle it before the appointment rather than during it. In practice we clear the rest normally, leave the suspect area untouched, and the specialist works in parallel — the fastest route.
What belongs in which stream
Chargeable hazardous waste: liquid paints and varnishes, solvents, thinners, adhesives, waste oil, heating oil, fuel residues, acids, alkalis, pesticides and herbicides, aerosol cans with contents, fluorescent tubes, energy-saving bulbs, mercury thermometers.
Free via retailer take-back: batteries and rechargeable cells. Please flag lithium batteries from e-bikes and power tools separately — they must be transported apart because of the fire risk.
Not hazardous waste: dried emulsion paint, empty and dried-out containers, LED lamps and filament bulbs.
Electrical equipment: goes through the mandated take-back routes and is counted in the weight with no extra fee. Refrigeration units must be transported undamaged because of the coolant — please mention them in advance.
How this works on the day
We separate on site as we clear. Hazardous waste is collected, secured and transported separately, and you receive a disposal certificate. On the invoice the item appears with the quantity and the per-litre rate, not as a lump sum.
In our experience most of it sits in the cellar and the garage — more in the article on clearing a cellar in Munich. The complete overview of every stream and the weight-based rates is on the disposal and recycling page.
We check these rates against the AWM tariff annually. If you have an unusual quantity or an unusual substance, call — with hazardous waste, asking beforehand is always cheaper than a surprise on the day.