Overview
- Police in Baden-Württemberg report new thefts, including 300 liters taken in Giengen, several tons in Heidenheim, and twelve barrels seized in Hockenheim, with investigations still at an early stage.
- The Interior Ministry in Stuttgart says the pattern is not statewide, with recent incidents clustering in hotspots such as Sindelfingen and Ludwigsburg.
- The waste industry association BDE logs more than 7,000 cases reported nationwide in 2023 and says most proceedings are dropped as minor or opportunistic offenses.
- Industry points to a cash-driven black market, often routing stolen, uncertified fat to buyers in the Netherlands, with prices reaching about €900 per tonne.
- SR reporting describes organized operations and businesses cite heavy losses, with one recycler counting two to three thefts per day and roughly €40,000 in damage this year; police in Siegburg recently detained two suspects during an attempted theft.