Up to 700 euros difference
Wastewater costs vary widely across the country
06/28/2023, 7:07 p.m
The fees for sewage disposal in Germany differ enormously from city to city. According to a study, households in Mönchengladbach pay the most. The differences are unacceptable, warns the Haus & Grund owners’ association and calls for more transparency.
The costs of households for the disposal of their waste water vary greatly in Germany. Depending on where you live, there are differences of over 700 euros per year, as the Haus & Grund owners’ association announced. According to this, an average four-person household in Ludwigsburg or Worms pays less than 300 euros a year on average, in Mönchengladbach or Potsdam it is more than 900 euros. “The sewage fees cannot be the same in every city,” explained Association President Kai Warnecke. “But a 300 percent difference is unacceptable. The utilities and the cities have to do it, because every euro of relief is important.”
were compared for the study the annual fees for the disposal of bath water, washing water and toilet flushing in the 100 largest German cities by population. According to this, 71 cities have increased wastewater costs since the previous study in 2020, they have fallen in 17 cities and remained largely unchanged in twelve. The study was written on behalf of Haus & Grund by the German Economic Institute.
Warnecke asked the municipalities to analyze the reasons for the big differences and to make them transparent. “This ranking should be an impetus for exchanging ideas with other cities, learning from each other in order to reduce costs and not constantly maintaining and emphasizing one’s own special features.”
The Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) explained that the amount of the costs must even vary from region to region and from city to city, “because they take into account different services, locations, local conditions”. The individual situation on site must be considered in each case, such as the different costs for operation, maintenance and modernization of the local wastewater infrastructure.