German Awesomeness 1: Mülltrennung!

Since I already started a category for "German ridiculousity," I thought it was only fair to extol the praises of those parts of German society that absolutely kick ass. And what could be more ridiculously awesome than...*drumroll*...garbage separation! Ok, so it doesn't sound all that exciting. But "Mülltrennung" in Germany really is very progressive - and it goes to show that recycling need not be as difficult as most American cities make it out to be. So without further ado, an American's basic guide to separating trash in Germany:

1. The Yellow Bin: Der Grüne Punkt & Der Gelbe Sack.
The so-called "green dot" (see right) is the symbol found on most packaging. This tells you that the manufacturer contributes financially to the cost of collection and recycling. The company must pay a fee to put the green dot on their products (unless they choose to incur these costs on their own, which is usually more expensive). The more packaging, the higher the fee. So basically, the "green dot initiative" cuts down on the amount of packaging produced. This system has now been adopted all across Europe, but it started right here in Germany.

In general, most items labeled with the Grüne Punkt go in the Gelbe Sack (the "yellow sack" - see left). The yellow sack (which usually goes in the yellow bin outside) is where you throw most of your packaging: plastic bottles, bags, and wrap and aluminum cans (including aerosol cans), tins, and foil all go in here. Additionally, "bastard items" like cardboard drink containers with plastic spouts and other "composite" materials should go in the yellow sack. These items are sorted by hand (think: "green jobs") , so it is important to wash them out and not stack them inside one another. This is not difficult.
NOTE: You do not usually need to have an official yellow sack to do this (a regular plastic sack will do), nor do the items you put into the sack need to have the green dot on them to be recycled.

2. The Blue/Green Bin: Paper and Cardboard
In addition to the yellow bin, most if not all houses will have a blue or green paper/cardboard bin. Again, there is no need to sort products by type. This will be done later. Thus, newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, office paper, books (minus the covers), uncoated cardboard packaging (with or without the green dot), and the like all go in this bin. The only paper items to keep out of it are things like tissues and paper towels. These will most likely go in the biological waste container (see #3).

3. The Brown Bin: Biological Waste.
Of course the biological waste contained is brown - and so are most of the things you throw in it by the time it gets picked up. Yes, this is the gross, smelly container for compost. Food waste (except meat scraps), coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, hair, nail clippings, feathers, used Kleenex, paper towels, and even Christmas trees all go in this bin.

If you keep a special container for Bio-waste in your kitchen, as I do, here are a few tips for keeping the fruit flies out and the smell in:

• Buy a small container with a secure lid. Some apartments come with little "Biotonne" containers that have flip lids and convenient carrying handles, so you can hold the container far away from your nose as you take it out.
• Put the container under the sink or in a corner, away from your produce.
• Line the container with a plastic bag (so you don't have to wash it as often). Then buy biodegradable paper bags at the grocery store to line the plastic bag. Put your bio-waste in the paper bag.
• Try to keep coffee ground on top of the waste. Flies don't like the grounds very much and tend to stay away.
  
• When it come time to take out the Biotonne, take the entire container outside. Pull out the paper bag and throw it directly in the brown waste container. (You may choose just to dump it out upside down. This is okay, as it's all biodegradable anyway.) You will unlikely want to have the lid to the big Biotonne open very long, so get used to doing this quickly.
• Throw away the plastic liner when it gets too gross, but try to get a few uses out of it.
• Scrub out your mini-Biotonne every couple of weeks.

4. The Black Bin: Restmüll.
The black bin is for the rest of the stuff that doesn't get recycled. Sanitary napkins and tampons go here, as do diapers, cigarette butts and ash, electrical appliances, photos, etc. Basically, all the non-hazardous miscellanea that doesn't make it into any of the other containers.This stuff gets incinerated.

5. Glass Bottles: Altglas & Pfand
You are likely wondering about glass. This, too, is very easy. While not every apartment building will have containers for Altglas, you can usually find one within a block or two from your house. (These bins are often next to a donation box for old clothes and shoes: also very convenient!) There is usually one container for brown glass, one for green glass, and one for clear glass. (Blue glass goes in the green glass bin. I assume this goes for "grue" glass as well.) Make sure your bottles are clean and de-corked before you throw them in. Things like jars, wine bottles, oil bottles, and so on will go in the Altglas bins.

However, if the bottle contained something carbonated, you likely paid a deposit (Pfand) for it at the store. In Germany, this usually amounts to beer and mineral water bottles (including plastic mineral water bottles, so don't put those in the gelbe Sack!). These can be returned to the store, and you can sometimes make enough money to buy your next Kiste of beer. (I like to trade an empty Kiste for a full one, which means paying no Pfand for the full Kiste.)

6. The Other Crap.
Hazardous items need to be disposed of separately, and you should ask around to find out where such things get picked up. Batteries can be disposed of at your local shopping center, and for large items like old furniture, just wait for the Sperrmüll day (usually once a month). This is the day when everything goes out on the curb. Most of it ends up in a dumpster-diver's living room, but the rest gets picked up the following day.

I know it sounds complicated, but it's really pretty intuitive and (to my mind) easier than they make it in the U.S. In fact, I'm not sure why more States don't institute a similar system. It increases both manufacturer and consumer awareness and responsibility, creates green jobs, and all-in-all makes it really simple for lazy people to be environmentally conscious. What more can we ask for?

P.S. A few great sites on Mülltrennung: http://www.amiexpat.com/2008/03/10/sorting-trash-in-germany/ and http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/recycling.html.