Infringement proceedings have commenced before the European Court of Justice over a public service contract for the disposal of biodegradable waste in Germany. The City of Bonn has a long-term partnership arrangement with a private company. This is a reciprocal arrangement under which the municipality disposes of household waste collected by the private partner in its incineration facility while the private partner treats the municipality’s bio-waste in its private-sector composting plants. Following a complaint from a rival waste disposal provider and the failure to achieve a negotiated settlement involving early termination of the contract, the European Commission opened infringement proceedings claiming that the contract should have gone out to competitive tender.