The treatment and disposal of solid municipal waste can be technically achieved by methods other than above-ground landfilling ("Goal 2020" of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment). These methods will not trigger socially unacceptable costs. There is a big variety of ways to achieve the goal 2020. This publication is a contribution to the conference "Abfallkolloquium 2005" organised by SIDAF in Freiberg on 6-7 October 2005. The publication summarises the results of an Ecologic project entitled "Future strategy of municipal waste management – Goal 2020".

The objective of this project was to lay the technical ground for a possible future waste strategy, setting an end to the above-ground of landfilling of solid municipal waste. The study examined whether this objective was technically viable and economically acceptable.

One of the results of the study are seven exemplary scenarios combining different waste treatment methods, among them incineration, mechanic-biological treatment, and gasification. The combination ensures the attainment of Goal 2020.
The study also formulated political recommendations for the further pursuit of Goal 2020.