MAKING MONEY: Recycling – Turning Waste into valuable raw materials

Gold-rush atmosphere in the recycling industry, waste as an economic engine. Every year, 40 million metric tons of waste end up in the trash cans of German households. Thanks to strict regulations and precise specifications for waste separation, this waste is turned into new raw materials.

Paper fibers can be reused up to seven times. In addition, the production of recovered paper uses considerably less water and energy than the production of virgin fiber paper. Thanks to state-of-the-art sorting machines equipped with infrared sensors and magnets, up to 150 million metric tons of scrap metal can now be recycled each year.

According to official statistics, the German recycling industry has generated sales of around 11.4 billion euros in recent years. The documentary provides insights into a booming industry and shows how raw materials are extracted from affluent waste.