In this article, the consumption of catalysts in the chemical industry in Germany as well as their recycling are investigated. Metal catalysts play a dominant role in terms of economics as well as of volume. Precious metal catalysts are employed very often, however, the quantity required is, with less than 1000 t per annum, relatively small. This type of catalysts are regularly reclaimed. The biggest group of catalysts are non-precious metal catalysts with approx. 9000 t per annum. Spent catalysts from this group are only partially recycled. Thereby, some of the catalyst metals are more frequently reclaimed than others, such as chromium, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, and nickel. Non-recycled catalysts are used in the chemical industry or disposed of. Economic criteria such as the price of the metal, the content of the metal, the type, and volume of impurities are decisive for making an appropriate decision. The support material is normally not reclaimed, but rather utilized or disposed of.