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The verdict is tough: “The Germans would like to be recycling world champions.
But that's wishful thinking.
Of the 5.2 million tonnes of plastic waste generated in 2017, just 810,000 tonnes were recycled, ”says the“ Plastic Atlas 2019 ”- a project of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Federal Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND).
Rolf Buschmann, press officer at BUND and jointly responsible for the “Plastic Atlas 2019”, explains why this is so: “Only half of the plastic waste is used for recycling.
A part of this, especially mixed materials, is exported abroad for ecological reasons.
From the remaining part, the things that are too small to be adequately recycled are then sorted out - they then end up in the incinerator.
Even black plastics are very difficult to identify by the systems' infrared detectors - and end up in the incineration.
In the end, what comes out in Germany as a recyclate, i.e. a recycled product, is 15.6 percent. "
However, since some materials are recycled abroad, one should actually assume a higher quota.
Buschmann estimates it at around 42 to 45 percent.
Don't put diapers in the yellow sack!
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But also so-called wrong throws, i.e. rubbish that ends up in the wrong bin, ensure that the Germans cannot stand out as role models when it comes to recycling.
For many people it is only logical that used diapers belong in the yellow sack or the recycling bin.
However, such a wrong throw contaminates the entire contents of this bin, it may no longer be recycled.
Yes, the orange or yellow bin in particular has a hard time, far too often what doesn't belong there ends up in it.
Eric Rehbock, General Manager of the Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (BVSE), on the subject of plastic waste separation: “There are many regions where it works well.
But there are also areas where up to 60 percent of incorrect throws are found. ”In particular, more incorrect throws end up in the recycling bins in the anonymous big city than in the countryside.
With paper and residual waste, there are far fewer mistakes.
Rehbock explains: “Paper is usually collected in its own bin.
Even here there are annoying mistakes, but these are not massive except for individual cases.
Recyclable materials that should not actually be disposed of, but can be recycled, often end up in the residual waste bin.
This happens out of ignorance, carelessness or because the waste container actually intended for it is already full. "
Orange and yellow garbage can for recyclables
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Is there actually a difference between the orange and yellow garbage cans?
Each municipality handles this differently.
The
orange recycling bin
is to be differentiated from the “normal” yellow
bin
, in which only light packaging may be disposed of.
Only metal and plastic food packaging goes into the yellow bin or bags.
The recycling bin - sometimes it is simply a former yellow bin with an orange sticker - belongs in addition to lightweight packaging as well as non-packaging made of metal and plastic such as pots or plastic toys.
“This means that more waste can be recycled.
Because in practice it doesn't depend on the function that an object had, but on the material, ”say the experts from the Federal Environment Agency.
Some municipalities only have the orange recycling bins, others still use both at the same time - it is still important to separate them well.
What about the Green Dot?
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Not all materials with the green dot belong in the orange or yellow bin - but other packaging without the green dot does.
The green dot is only the trademark of one of several dual systems; it can, but does not have to be used.
"Basically, all packaging materials, whether with or without the green dot, belong in the orange / yellow bin," explains Rehbock from BVSE.
There are exceptions, however: on the one hand, container glass - this is collected in special waste glass containers.
And on the other hand paper - this is usually collected in a waste paper bin.
“Unfortunately, sales packaging is no longer uniformly labeled.
It is therefore often difficult to decide whether the packaging belongs in the paper, glass or the orange / yellow bin.
However, some retail chains are reintroducing separation and recycling instructions, ”says Rehbock.
You can find out what these are here.
dm and Rossmann introduce recycling logo for plastic
This year, products with little packaging are to be marked with a traffic light in the drugstores of dm and Rossmann.
The major manufacturers are also involved in the initiative.
Source: WORLD
Do you have to rinse empty glasses and mugs?
No, empty packaging is automatically rinsed during further processing, "spoon clean", ie completely emptied, is completely sufficient.
However, sorting systems cannot pull everything apart again, including cups that are not stacked one inside the other - so it is better to dispose of yoghurt cups individually in the garbage, even if they take up a lot more space.
If packaging consists of different materials - such as many yoghurt pots - you should separate them from one another before throwing them away.
“The sorting system can only send the various materials to the right recycling structures if the materials are loose.
The paper coating on some yogurt pots is a problem.
The sorting system recognizes the paper and sends the yoghurt tub to the paper recycling facility.
Nobody wants that, ”says Rehbock.
Not in that
Recyclable bins
include lighters, CDs, ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens or small electrical devices such as hair dryers or blenders.
The Federal Environment Agency declares: "It must be ensured that the objects do not contain any other substances, such as liquids, electronic components or hazardous substances."
Even old video cassettes do not belong in the plastic waste, they are so-called problematic substances: "The tapes of the cassettes interfere immensely with the sorting process, they knot and get tangled in the system," says BUND's Buschmann.
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Electrical devices must also not be disposed of with normal household waste, but rather at the recycling center or in electrical retailers (remove batteries and rechargeable batteries beforehand and dispose of them in collection boxes for device batteries in stores).
Blue garbage can for paper
Newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, cardboard, packaging made of paper, cigarette boxes (without foil), brochures, catalogs, books, notebooks and writing paper belong in the blue bin.
The recycling rate for this material is particularly good: “In 2017, the waste paper recycling rate was 83.6 percent.
Only those papers are lost from the cycle that are disposed of with the residual waste or are so heavily soiled that they can no longer be recycled.
Germany is a net importer of waste paper, ”writes the Federal Environment Agency by email when asked.
Remnants of wallpaper, soiled or coated paper - such as wrapped wrapping paper - do
not
belong
in the blue bin.
Likewise special papers such as photos, receipts, concert tickets or tickets.
Such papers are soaked with chemicals that cannot be removed during the preparation process and so remain in the recycled paper as "contamination".
But the all-clear for envelopes with a window - yes, they can even end up in the paper waste with a window.
The Federal Environment Agency explains: “The windows of the envelopes can be separated in the waste paper recycling process, as they do not dissolve in the paper-water suspension.
They are sorted out and used energetically. "
Opinions differ when it comes to napkins, handkerchiefs and kitchen towels.
Paper waste or not, after all, they usually also contain very high-quality fibers? “Napkins soiled with leftover food and used paper handkerchiefs or kitchen towels belong in the residual waste, as they can otherwise contaminate other waste paper in the process.
In addition, handkerchiefs, kitchen towels and serviettes are made highly wet-resistant with chemicals and therefore do not dissolve optimally in the recycling process.
In small quantities, however, this is not a problem in the plants, ”say the experts from the Federal Environment Agency.
Brown garbage can for organic waste
Organic waste belongs in the brown (sometimes also green) organic waste bin, including leftover food, fruit bowls, tea bags, coffee pods, green waste, litter for small animals (if it is biodegradable), but also paper towels, handkerchiefs, serviettes and biodegradable plastic bags (in moderation).
The rules are a little different depending on the municipality.
In some municipalities, (untreated) wood and potting soil can also be disposed of in the organic waste bin.
Furniture wood, chipboard and the like, however, belong in the bulky waste.
Dead pets, diapers, ashes, liquids, leather, etc. are also prohibited in organic waste. A detailed list of waste that is suitable for the organic waste bin can be found here.
“Around 80 percent of the separately collected organic and green waste is recycled as compost and digestate.
The rest are sorted out foreign substances and woody components that are used as biomass fuel, ”says the Federal Environment Agency.
Green, brown and white containers for glass
The color of the corresponding glass container - usually green, brown, white - indicates which bottle colors they are suitable for.
The situation is different with blue or red bottles, there are no special bins for this, so they should be disposed of with green glass.
"Because compared to the other glass colors, significantly more wrong colors can be added to green glass without the quality of the newly produced glass suffering," says Rehbock from BVSE.
Incidentally, the paper labels can remain on the glasses; they are fished out in the sorting system.
Metal screw caps are also sorted out there, "but this increases the sorting effort and therefore lids should be removed before disposal," says the Federal Environment Agency - in the yellow bin.
Perfume bottles or cream jars made of glass can also be put in the waste glass container, because they are made from standard container glass.
What is not allowed in the glass container?
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The situation is different with drinking vessels, crystal glasses, glass microwave dishes, mirror glass, window panes or other flat glass.
This must
not be
disposed of in the glass container.
“It has a different composition than container glass and only melts at higher temperatures, which would disrupt production.
In addition, lead is still contained in crystal glass, which must not be contained in high concentrations in container glasses for food.
These glasses all belong in the residual waste, ”says the Federal Environment Agency.
When it comes to glass, Germans sort very carefully; in 2017 the recycling rate for glass was 84.8 percent.
On average, new container glass consists of 60 percent old glass.
But this only works if you sort according to color.
“If a large blue or red bottle is thrown into the white glass container, this can mean that considerable effort has to be made in the waste glass processing plant in order to be able to give the broken glass to the white glass production.
Otherwise, the waste glass can only be used in green glass production, ”says the Federal Environment Agency.
Although the color sorting is standard in most waste glass processing plants, the effort and thus the costs increase the more incorrectly thrown a glass container contains.
Gray garbage can for the rest of the household waste
Only what cannot be recycled should end up in the gray bin, i.e. the smallest part of household waste - if everything is properly separated.
These include: hygiene articles, diapers, animal litter, dishes, thermal paper (such as receipts or tickets), glass (such as drinking glasses or flat glass), vacuum cleaner bags, ashes, photos, dirty paper or dried out felt pens.
Products with harmful ingredients do not belong in the residual waste bin - this includes batteries, chemicals, energy-saving lamps and renovation waste.
Bulky waste, such as electronic waste or furniture, does not belong in the residual waste bin either.
This article first appeared in October 2019.
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