Environmental and resource protection
Waste and recycling
HHLA’s efforts to conserve resources is demonstrated by its waste management system and the use of recycled building materials for the maintenance of its terminal areas. With regard to waste management, HHLA reduces refuse and separates rubbish for recycling wherever possible so that reusable waste can be fed back into the resource cycle. Due to the fluctuation in throughput volumes at the various HHLA terminals, the quantities of each waste type can vary widely from one year to the next.
Excluding construction waste, the amount of waste produced at the German sites decreased by 9.7 % to 8,328 tonnes in the reporting period (previous year: 9,221 t). The amount of hazardous waste decreased at more than twice this rate, falling 20.8 % during the reporting period to 1,500 t (previous year: 1,895 t).
The biggest absolute decrease in waste volume was for fruit waste. This type of waste includes fruit – such as bananas or pineapple – no longer suitable for consumption or processing. HHLA has no influence on the amount of such waste, as it primarily includes goods that were already unfit for sale when they reached Hamburg. At 30.6 %, this type of waste accounts for the largest proportion of waste overall. Fruit waste decreased year-on-year by 826 t to 2,547 t (previous year: 3,373 t). The majority of this waste, 1,552 t, was used by an external biogas plant in order to generate electricity. Nearly 280,000 kWh of electricity were produced without CO2 in this way in 2019.
With a slight 1.4 % increase to 1,112 t, the amount of commercial waste was virtually unchanged, as was the third largest type of waste, mixed metals, with a 1.2 % decrease to 1,044 t. This type of waste includes items such as steel cables from container gantry cranes or yard cranes that are not longer fit for use. This type of waste is fully recycled. Paper and cardboard packaging decreased year-on-year by 13.1 % to 695 t and represented the fourth largest type of waste.
With regard to hazardous waste, the amount of sludge from oil/water separators amounted to 524 t (previous year: 1,065 t). This type of waste primarily results from the cleaning of straddle carriers and other large equipment with pressure washers and is the fifth-largest waste category. The significant decrease by nearly 51 % on last year is due to the increased use of a water treatment plant at the Container Terminal Burchardkai.
At 399 t, residual waste is for the sixth-largest type of waste. The amount of scrap wood and building timber for disposal decreased in the reporting year by 13 %, or 55 t, to 359 t.
Developments in the volume of waste
in thousand tonnes
After energy, the next largest direct material input at HHLA is construction materials. These are used in the form of recycled building materials to maintain existing terminal areas and to prepare other areas for different purposes. The use of recycled building materials increased year-on-year by 48 % to 31,566 t. The use of slag from waste incineration plants accounted for the largest percentage of this total – 35.5 % or 11,195 t. 10,222 t of recycled building materials were used for the sustainable resurfacing of the Container Terminal Altenwerder. At 34.1 % or 10,759 t, the second-largest share was accounted for by construction materials from asphalt recycling, followed by slag from waste incineration plants that was bonded with cement and used to expand the area used for the yard crane system. This accounted for 8,170 t or 25.9 % of the recycled building materials. A concrete-mineral aggregate accounted for 4.6 % or 1,442 t of total recycled building materials.
Water consumption
Water is mostly used in the HHLA Group to clean large-scale equipment and containers, as well as for employee hygiene. Compared to the previous year, the amount of water consumed by operations in Germany, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine rose by 1.6 % to 98,895 m3 in 2019 (previous year: 97,344 m3). This slight increase is primarily due to the fact that the terminal operator HHLA TK was included in the statistics for the first time in 2019. HHLA’s facilities draw water from the public supply network.
Water consumption
in dam3
HHLA locations: Germany, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine
In maritime logistics, a terminal is a facility where freight transported by various modes of transport is handled.
A crane system used to load and discharge container ships. As ships are becoming larger and larger, the latest container gantry cranes have much higher, longer jibs to match.
A vehicle used to transport containers at the terminals. The driver manoeuvres their straddle carrier into position above a container and lifts it up. The vehicles can stack containers up to four high.
In maritime logistics, a terminal is a facility where freight transported by various modes of transport is handled.