This is so impressive. The dedication of the government and people to properly segregate their waste. My favorite part is the disposing of glasses and the time schedule that you are allowed to throw glass/bottles.
Where I live (Trier), "Problemabfälle" (used oil, batteries, paint, etc.) can be also taken to the "Wertstoffhof". If someone has a car and some storage space to gather enough stuff, could be a nice option.
It is super nice that the German's care for recycle and being clean. I wish here in America was more like this. I know a few parts of America try this, but it is most of the people that don't help. I remember being in Boston, where they had a machine where you recycle ♻️ bottles and cans and get cash. I wish more places do this 🙏
If you are new to a city, etc check your local regulations, it's not all the same in Germany. Here in Munich for example there are no yellow trash cans, you have to get those to where the glass containers are. Also there is no Sperrmüll here yo are supposed to bring that trash to special collections places called Wertstoffhöfe.
Just moved to Germany from California, where we are also avid recyclers. So, I was dedicated to doing this right here, thank you for making this video.
you must be proud. I was in germany and was blown away by the cleanliness. You citizens deserve this on the whole. Something i wish my country India learns sooner.
I wanted to see a video about the recycling of packages in stores. I live in Japan and I see your daily trash and recycling is similar to our process here.
For most of those Special things like paint, oil, car batteries, electronics and so on you can simply go by the rule "return it where you got it" most car shops offer to take back the oil for example and most hardware stores take back paint. For normal AA- AAA batteries you can go to almost any goverment building in germany and there will be a box to dispose them. (Even my fromor school had one). Any if everything goes wrong there are Recycling centers (Werkstoffhof) scatered around germany wich will help you get rid of almost anything.
Hi, maybe a good complement to your video: in some citys for example in Hamburg, we dont have "Sperrmüll" days, here it's normal to bring your old stuff to the "Recycling Hof", there are a few in the city :)
People in Berlin just dump their shit on the streets. Depending on the city area you can find fridges, mattresses, cabinets and everything else despite there being recycling facility less than 5 km away.
But it dipends on where you live. I live in Bremen. We don't have to seperate Papier and Karton. We can put it all together at the street on collection day. We also use the Gelbe Sack for plastic. Not every one can have seperate bins for this stuff, due to the lack of space in the rentable buildings. Every Store selling batteries has to take them back, so you can get rid of them at the supermarket. In the small citys and villages of Niedersachsen, surrounding Bremen, the glass is also collected at your house. Things of a bit of value, like books or kitchenstuff and so one, we here put on the streets whith a sign " Zu verschenken" for people to take it home, if they like. But after some time you have to take it back to youre house, if nobody wanted. So it's really a sience to learn it all.
We have something similar in Sweden but all our bins stands in a shed. You can also throw your bottles there (even on Sundays). Only bad thing is that you need a car if you want to throw away electronics, paint and bigger stuff since only a few places take them. Edit: Light bulbs and batteries are thrown in small bins you find in the shed I mentioned above
Omggg thanks so much for this video. I am an American living in Germany and I take out all my trash for first time today in the same bag and my neighbor almost dieeee! Jajaja I didn't know nothing about the system and she was so amazing person, she fixed all my trash and then came to tell me that I can't do that jaja... I thank God for so amazing neighbor, she just talking german did her best to explain to me and help me with my mess! 😆🤣🤣🤣🤣 I truly appreciate your video! I have some extra work at home now😆😆🤣🤣🤣 but I think this is amazing. I LOVE GERMANY!
Thanks. Perhaps something to add is that for Biotonne, you should not dispose it off along along with a regular plastic bag. The Biotonne can be collected in paper bags, or special compostable bags (kompostierbar).
Thanks for your comment! Bear in mind that no plastic bag should be used (even if it says it’s biodegradable). It’s best to throw the organic waste directly in the bin, in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper.
At our company, the boss came with a two-part bin and said that we had to separate the garbage and that I should label the two sides of the bin. I've labeled the left side with "Rubbish from the morning" and the right side with "Rubbish from the afternoon".
Very informative. Thank you ! Could you also please mention , Where do you throw away 1) old crockery 2) bathroom/ sanitary waste 3) lids of jars 4) metal items 5) stationary - pens etc
Really depends a lot on where you live, as waste disposal is a municipal issue. Some cities accept food cans and alu foil in the Gelbe Sack, others don't. Some cities give out larger paper bins than others where you can also stuff big cartons in. Also, Mediamarkt etc usually take a fee if you bring back your larger electronics devices to them, but the local Recycling-Center or Wertstoffhof takes them for free.
I am in Croatia and we are on a road to this type of functional recycling system but we are still very far from it. I don't know why is it so difficult for people to do... but to be fair it is much better then it was.
Hey girls, thanks a lot for this video! Was about to take all glass bottles out and luckily enough watched your video and found out I should not do it on a Sunday :) Just a couple of questions, if you do not mind, as it was not mentioned in the video :) 1. Glass bottle lids - where should they be thrown away? 2. Christmas tree - if we are not in Germany during the collection, where can we then throw it away? 3. Sperrmull - what about if we need to get rid of these fast as we are moving away from the city/Germany and cannot wait for the next date? 4. Bottles that are not refundable - do they go in normal plastic (yellow bin)? 5. Shampoo bottles and similar - you mentioned we can throw them away in drug stores. But can they go also in standart yellow plastic bins? Additional comments: 1. Batteries can also be thrown away in supermarkets like Aldi, Netto.... :) 2. I have noticed some refundable bottles can be returned only in the shop where you bought them. I think it was Lidl and Kaufland specifics. Thanks! :)
Thanks! Let's see about your questions: 1) Glass bottle lids go in plastic 2+3) You can try at the Recyclinghof or Wertstoffhof in your city. Maybe look on their website. But usually one can drive there and drop bulky items off. 4+5) Yes, they do. Hope that helps 😊
@@simplegermany Thank you for the reply and thank you Veronika for the comment, I had the same questions. And what about dirty/greasy paper/plastic? I always try to clean them, but sometimes they don't get 100% clean. In that case should I throw them in the Restmüll or Papier/Gelbe?
I wish USA was more organized as Germany when it comes to recycling....when throwing out,mattresses,a desk,etc. Do you pay for this? Here,we usually do. Recycling is great. Thank you for giving me another reason to Loved Deutschland.👏🏽👋🏽
We usually pay a flat-rate/year for all the garbage, including 1 kubikmeter (sorry, I really don´t know how to "translate" it!) big stuff like furniture etc, but it´s really not much (where I live is like 67 euros/year). Big electronic stuff is free btw and, if you have more than 1 kubikmeter of big stuff you have to pay. Again, it´s not exepensive. I hope I could help!
Thank you for such an informative video! I wish the US would commit to such streamlined processes. Every community has different rules here, and very little infrastructure supports recycling 😩 So great job, Germany!
Thank you for making this video, it is very helpful. One thing I couldn't deduce from the video is how to dispose of styrofoam. Could you please share a resource regarding that?
1-What could you do with a 0.75 cents receipt? I mean can you collect them until it all becomes a bigger number like lets say 5€ and cash it? 2-In what container would the cardboards with plastic parts go in? (Ex: Some cardboard boxes have this transparent plastic/film over it so that the item inside is visible) Thank you
I saw 16 minutes long video and I was liker seriously.... Does there need to be a 16 min video of how to throw out trash... But this was very enjoyable and somewhat fascinating... God bless on your UA-cam channel
Great video. Thank you for taking the time to provide a comprehensive explanation. I only have one question: Which bin could I use to dispose styrofoam?
in my head all this video was the girl that is surprised with different shapes box game. in this one goes to... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 thank for video very informative 🙂
Thanks for your video. Very helpful. One more question. Where would we throw the glass dishes (like plates and bowls) because they usually don't fit in the bottle containers unless we break them into smaller pieces.
I have a question Yvonne and Jen. Where should I dispose plastic hair shampoo bottles and deodorant glass containers with some deodrant still inside it ? The problem is I don't know where to empty the remaining shampoo and deodorant. I know that I shouldn't contaminate the water by pouring it into sink. Vielen Dank!
The empty shampoo bottles belong in the plastic (yellow) trash and the deodorant as well. Some dm stores also have special containers at the entrance for deodorant if you rather throw it there 😊
Hi! Thanks a lot for the video! Few questions: 1) If my household don't have yellow bin (only dark green and blue), where should i throw plastic boxes, food wraps and anything other that normaly should be placed in yellow bin? 2) So, in blue bin i could place any paper and cartons, but it should be clean, flat and pressed. Correct? 3) And aslo if there is no brown bin, where should food waste go?
Hey Konstantin, 1. Some districts in Germany don't have a plastic trash collection. In these cases you need to bring the yellow plastic trash bags to a trash collection center yourself. Ideally, you ask your landlord how it is handled for your area. 2. Correct 😊 - however, if the cartons are too big, you should bring them to the bigger carton containers on the streets (as shown in the video) 3. Not all areas in Germany have a brown bio bin (we don't have one), so your regular food waste also goes into the black bin (Restmüll). Hope this helps 😊
Can you please let me know where to throw the lids of the glasses away? In the video you said, only the glass container is supposed to go in that particular place. Also where would you throw metal things? Thank you!
Normally every market in the retail trade is obliged to take back the leftover products (garbage) from things they sell, If there is no general possibility for this (residual waste, green or blue bin) you can buy batteries in a market, they take your old ones back. You can buy Electronics, theey take old electronis back. You can buy car oil, ..you get it, Even if u buy a new fridge in a shop, they take back ur old one.
Hey, can we go to any getränkemarkt to get the pfand for beer and fever tree bottles? Unfortunately can't find Hoffman getränkemarkt in Munich, the one I found is Getränkemarkt Blutenburgstraße 80? Will this work for pfand?
Smaller amounts of cooking oil go into the Restmüll or down the drain (when cleaning pans etc.). Larger amounts should be brought to your local Wertstoffhof. For garden waste you can use your green or brown garbage bins. For larger amounts each city has a specific drop off area, which you could google 'Entsorgung von Gartenabfällen' for your city.
I thought that all the proper container would be next to each other, Looks like you had to go super far from your house! 🤔 Question: what about the oil? Do you return to the supermarket or do you have a container for that? By the way, I loved this video! I think that is very important and informative. My husband and I are thinking about moving to Germany, but there so many things that we don't know and with your videos we are learning a lot. Thank you much for those videos! ❤️
The regular trash is right by your house. But for bottles, big cardboard, or special waste you need to exit your house. Big amounts of oil should go in special waste at a recycling center. Thinking about moving can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Just take one step at a time 😊
Apart from the graffitis, your bins are remarkably clean. I'd expect people to throw random smelling garbage in the recycling bins because the rest-bins are locked or full. How does the automatic bottle receptacle identify the bottle reliably? A lot of this trash could be used to heat a house in winter. But in a city paper creates a heap of trash that fills a bin quickly.
Thank you for the detailed video. Please be so kind to advise on where to throw away old medical supplies such as used syringes, needles and expired medicine, etc. Would a pharmacy be able to assist? (General rule of return to the place of purchase?)
return to the place you can buy them is the general and good idea. Throwing old medicine in the waste makes it go into the water in the end. the pharmacies can collect them and take care of them properly. Dont pollute the nature with your old medicine. Some aspirin in the waste wont do harm, but your antibiotics... no. nonono. The general rule is: whoever sells it, has to take back the old. As my new TV was delivered the guy took the old one with him. Thats also the reason the supermarkets have trash bins for paper, plastics and so on on the exit. Get rid off the unwanted and not needed package material in this place yet. No need to take it home.
Thank you very much for this video. It didn't answer just one detail that I've been arguiung about with my partner: empty tetrapack packages, do they belong in the paper waste, or the plastic waste?
Hey Mauricio, thanks a lot for your great feedback! 😊 Tetra Packs belong in the yellow plastic waste. Take a closer look at one and you usually find a yellow circle stating Gelbe Tonne. So which one did you vote for: plastic or paper? 😉
@@simplegermany thanks! I had said paper, because the tetrapacks are mostly made out of carton board, but I guess I was wrong! 😁 I looked at the tetrapacks I have at home and none has the yellow mark of gelbe tonne, but anyway I take your word for it. Many thanks!!
Metal caps from glass canisters go in the plastic trash. Anything else metallic depends on what it is and how big. It might need special disposal at the Wertstoffhof.
I love all your videos- thank you 😊… it’s cute to see how many Germans are watching such videos too :) it’s great to read their comments - it brings more insights ❤️🇩🇪
Hey, thanks for the detailed video. We got a diet coke from the local Spätkauf, the bottle doesn't have the recycle symbol, also the local supermarket machine did not accept the bottle. Do we return the bottle to the place we bought it from?
It probably says Mehrwegflasche on it, which means it is a multi use bottle and has Pfand. You can return it at any Getränkemarkt (a shop that only sells drinks) or where you bought it.
I was recently in Dusseldorf and was surprised by the waste bin surfers from street tramps to tidy dressed people going from rubbish bin to rubbish bin looking for empty drinks cans and bottles we even had a guy ask us for our cans while sitting on a cafe terrace
Thank you very much. I live in Kaiserslautern and could not figure out how to dispose bio degradable trash. There is a brown biodegradable trash can of the apartment, and when I look in it, I see that people disposed their biodegradable trash in special (I assume degradable) green bags. However, I heard in a video about Germany that we should not throw away biodegradable trash in a bag, even if it is a special bag made for this purpose. I am very confused and my biodegradable trash in rotting in my house :D help please!
😅 we don't have biodegradable trash, but people who have it, usually use a special biodegradable bag for it, as far as we know. If you don't want to use a bag, why don't you just take your trash bin to the brown bin and empty it directly into it? 😇
Both the cans and milk cartons go into the bin for plastic stuff. You can find a detailed list of things in our guide here: www.simplegermany.com/trash-guide-germany/#Yellow_bin_Plastic_and_soft_metal
Hi, just to say that TECHNICALLY taking stuff from Sperrmüll is illegal because..actually, I'm not quite sure why, it has sth. to do with whose property the stuff is a what specific time. So yea, you can take stuff from Sperrmüll and most folks won't mind (as long as you don't leave a mess behind) but make sure there's no police or Ordnungsamt or annoyingly German neighbour around.
Thank you for this useful video! I have a question and would be really happy if you could reply. I've heard that it's forbidden to pour oil into the toilet or sink since it's thicker and hard to separate from water and clean. Where can I pour the oil from food and for example from canned fish etc? Thank you!
You can dispose of it in the Restmüll. Depending on how much it is, you should collect it in a plastic bottle and then dispose of it or bring it to a recycling farm (Wertstoffhof).
In my country (Croatia) old cooking oil can be disposed of at the gas stations. And they also take other types of oil as well, mostly car oil, but others as well. Possibly odd, but that's how it is.
Hey thank you for this detailed video! I have a question: where can I throw away electronics if I didn’t buy it from here? I have a kitchen appliance that I brought with me from my home country and now it broke. Can I still take it to Mediamarkt?
Hey Dana, you can dispose it via the Sperrmüll. We talk about it in our guide: www.simplegermany.com/trash-guide-germany/#Furniture_and_bulky_items. To book an appointment for your town, search for Sperrmüll Termin + city name 😊
Yes we do. It is very common in German households to have different trash bins according to which big bins are being collected. We separate plastic, paper, bottles and rest garbage.
@@simplegermany Awesome!!! I am a student in Düsseldorf and I am doing my thesis on waste Separation. Would you be willing to answer a few questions in this regard?
The rule is that small shops and supermarkets accept the bottles that they sell. Also, usually big 'Getränkemarkt' accept most bottles with pfand. If they don't, then you need to go back to the shop where you bought the beer.
@@simplegermany thank you so much for replying! I found FindajobinGermany team through one of your videos back in July. Now I have an offer and moving to Cologne (Köln) at the end of January 2023! :) Thanks for all the information. I have been binge watching your videos recently !! :)
We just arrived in Hamburg and are really confused. In the basement of our house we have containers with red lids only and our landlord said we can throw away everything in it😟 - is that common? Also can’t find any Pfand “machine” in the grocery stores nearby (Rewe, Edeka, Aldi). Even tried to find it on the map but got nothing(( Do you have any tips?🙏
Welcome to Hamburg! Just had a quick Google and Hamburg definitely also has the regular recycling system. It could be though that your landlord does not abide by it, the way you describe it. And there should definitely be machines to return Pfand. In Aldi they are usually next to the entrance or all the way in the back. In Rewe we have also seen extra little buildings 10 meters next to the actual supermarket, so maybe have another look around or ask an employee of the supermarket 😊
YOU are the Americans and YOU are about to make a change!!! Please don't throw away your responsibility. You don't do it in favor of Germany, nor of the whole world, but for YOURSELF and your loved ones. To be vegan is another topic, but comes next, if you love your children. I didn't like to hear this either, but unfortunately it is the cruel reality. We have to change NOW!!! All of us. Edit: please excuse my English, as you may have detected that I am a German, plus an older one👵 and the English language is not my skill number one.😂
![What to WEAR for German winters [so you don't FREEZE] 🥶](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HcHZFqVgZjM/mqdefault.jpg)
This is so impressive. The dedication of the government and people to properly segregate their waste. My favorite part is the disposing of glasses and the time schedule that you are allowed to throw glass/bottles.
Where I live (Trier), "Problemabfälle" (used oil, batteries, paint, etc.) can be also taken to the "Wertstoffhof". If someone has a car and some storage space to gather enough stuff, could be a nice option.
It is super nice that the German's care for recycle and being clean. I wish here in America was more like this. I know a few parts of America try this, but it is most of the people that don't help. I remember being in Boston, where they had a machine where you recycle ♻️ bottles and cans and get cash. I wish more places do this 🙏
If you are new to a city, etc check your local regulations, it's not all the same in Germany. Here in Munich for example there are no yellow trash cans, you have to get those to where the glass containers are. Also there is no Sperrmüll here yo are supposed to bring that trash to special collections places called Wertstoffhöfe.
Just moved to Germany from California, where we are also avid recyclers. So, I was dedicated to doing this right here, thank you for making this video.
This is incredibly impressive. Wow! Thanks for the great video!
2024 here, I’m grateful for your content! 😊
Watching this as a German...it makes me feel strangely proud of my country. What the hell?
😋
I'm confused kk
It’s ok to be proud of your country as long as it’s for good reasons
And what do I do with the lids of glass jars? Where do we dispose that?
you must be proud. I was in germany and was blown away by the cleanliness. You citizens deserve this on the whole. Something i wish my country India learns sooner.
Thank you! I love living here, trying to do it correctly.
I wanted to see a video about the recycling of packages in stores. I live in Japan and I see your daily trash and recycling is similar to our process here.
Thanks for the video. It's very useful and informative.
For most of those Special things like paint, oil, car batteries, electronics and so on you can simply go by the rule "return it where you got it" most car shops offer to take back the oil for example and most hardware stores take back paint. For normal AA- AAA batteries you can go to almost any goverment building in germany and there will be a box to dispose them. (Even my fromor school had one). Any if everything goes wrong there are Recycling centers (Werkstoffhof) scatered around germany wich will help you get rid of almost anything.
Hi, maybe a good complement to your video: in some citys for example in Hamburg, we dont have "Sperrmüll" days, here it's normal to bring your old stuff to the "Recycling Hof", there are a few in the city :)
People in Berlin just dump their shit on the streets. Depending on the city area you can find fridges, mattresses, cabinets and everything else despite there being recycling facility less than 5 km away.
But it dipends on where you live. I live in Bremen. We don't have to seperate Papier and Karton. We can put it all together at the street on collection day. We also use the Gelbe Sack for plastic. Not every one can have seperate bins for this stuff, due to the lack of space in the rentable buildings. Every Store selling batteries has to take them back, so you can get rid of them at the supermarket. In the small citys and villages of Niedersachsen, surrounding Bremen, the glass is also collected at your house. Things of a bit of value, like books or kitchenstuff and so one, we here put on the streets whith a sign " Zu verschenken" for people to take it home, if they like. But after some time you have to take it back to youre house, if nobody wanted.
So it's really a sience to learn it all.
We have something similar in Sweden but all our bins stands in a shed. You can also throw your bottles there (even on Sundays). Only bad thing is that you need a car if you want to throw away electronics, paint and bigger stuff since only a few places take them.
Edit: Light bulbs and batteries are thrown in small bins you find in the shed I mentioned above
Wow! Amazing video to learn from and share farther.
👍👍
Omggg thanks so much for this video. I am an American living in Germany and I take out all my trash for first time today in the same bag and my neighbor almost dieeee! Jajaja I didn't know nothing about the system and she was so amazing person, she fixed all my trash and then came to tell me that I can't do that jaja... I thank God for so amazing neighbor, she just talking german did her best to explain to me and help me with my mess! 😆🤣🤣🤣🤣 I truly appreciate your video! I have some extra work at home now😆😆🤣🤣🤣 but I think this is amazing. I LOVE GERMANY!
Thank you! Viel Dank! Muchas gracias! You gave detailed answers to my questions. Wonderful.
Thanks. Perhaps something to add is that for Biotonne, you should not dispose it off along along with a regular plastic bag. The Biotonne can be collected in paper bags, or special compostable bags (kompostierbar).
Thanks for your comment! Bear in mind that no plastic bag should be used (even if it says it’s biodegradable). It’s best to throw the organic waste directly in the bin, in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper.
Thanks for the video, this will be super handy once I'm in Germany! :-)
Wow! You spent tooo much time on this! PROUD!
This is heaven to me. I'd be so happy to separate all my trash.
very very useful content for new comers like me. thank you so much.
At our company, the boss came with a two-part bin and said that we had to separate the garbage and that I should label the two sides of the bin. I've labeled the left side with "Rubbish from the morning" and the right side with "Rubbish from the afternoon".
😂 that's another (not so efficient) way to do it 😝
Very informative. Thank you !
Could you also please mention , Where do you throw away 1) old crockery 2) bathroom/ sanitary waste 3) lids of jars 4) metal items 5) stationary - pens etc
Crockery, sanitary waste, metal items, etc. all go into the Restmüll. Lids of jars go into the plastic trash.
@@simplegermany thank you 😊
Thanks, a lot. It's all clear now😉
Danke schön, that was a really helpful video!
Really helpful!! It would be best if you can provide important links in the description.
We added the links for our guides which you can check out.
Extremly helpful.
Thank you.
Really depends a lot on where you live, as waste disposal is a municipal issue. Some cities accept food cans and alu foil in the Gelbe Sack, others don't. Some cities give out larger paper bins than others where you can also stuff big cartons in. Also, Mediamarkt etc usually take a fee if you bring back your larger electronics devices to them, but the local Recycling-Center or Wertstoffhof takes them for free.
Very true, that’s why we provide a rough overview (some things are the same everywhere as well) 😊
Keep it simple give it easy satisfying
Thanks Jen .
I am in Croatia and we are on a road to this type of functional recycling system but we are still very far from it. I don't know why is it so difficult for people to do... but to be fair it is much better then it was.
Where should I throw for example pillows, its covers and these stuff? Thank you
Hey girls, thanks a lot for this video! Was about to take all glass bottles out and luckily enough watched your video and found out I should not do it on a Sunday :)
Just a couple of questions, if you do not mind, as it was not mentioned in the video :)
1. Glass bottle lids - where should they be thrown away?
2. Christmas tree - if we are not in Germany during the collection, where can we then throw it away?
3. Sperrmull - what about if we need to get rid of these fast as we are moving away from the city/Germany and cannot wait for the next date?
4. Bottles that are not refundable - do they go in normal plastic (yellow bin)?
5. Shampoo bottles and similar - you mentioned we can throw them away in drug stores. But can they go also in standart yellow plastic bins?
Additional comments:
1. Batteries can also be thrown away in supermarkets like Aldi, Netto.... :)
2. I have noticed some refundable bottles can be returned only in the shop where you bought them. I think it was Lidl and Kaufland specifics.
Thanks! :)
Thanks! Let's see about your questions:
1) Glass bottle lids go in plastic
2+3) You can try at the Recyclinghof or Wertstoffhof in your city. Maybe look on their website. But usually one can drive there and drop bulky items off.
4+5) Yes, they do.
Hope that helps 😊
@@simplegermany Thank you very much!!!
@@simplegermany Thank you for the reply and thank you Veronika for the comment, I had the same questions.
And what about dirty/greasy paper/plastic? I always try to clean them, but sometimes they don't get 100% clean. In that case should I throw them in the Restmüll or Papier/Gelbe?
Very helpful! Thank you so much!
Thank you! very good video!
Thank u dear very informative
I wish USA was more organized as Germany when it comes to recycling....when throwing out,mattresses,a desk,etc. Do you pay for this? Here,we usually do. Recycling is great. Thank you for giving me another reason to Loved Deutschland.👏🏽👋🏽
We usually pay a flat-rate/year for all the garbage, including 1 kubikmeter (sorry, I really don´t know how to "translate" it!) big stuff like furniture etc, but it´s really not much (where I live is like 67 euros/year). Big electronic stuff is free btw and, if you have more than 1 kubikmeter of big stuff you have to pay. Again, it´s not exepensive. I hope I could help!
Depends on the town where you live. In some it is free in others you pay
Thank you for such an informative video! I wish the US would commit to such streamlined processes. Every community has different rules here, and very little infrastructure supports recycling 😩
So great job, Germany!
I dont even live in germany but this is very informative!
Thank you for making this video, it is very helpful.
One thing I couldn't deduce from the video is how to dispose of styrofoam. Could you please share a resource regarding that?
Those go in the yellow bin 😊
Dankeschön ❤ very informative video.
1-What could you do with a 0.75 cents receipt? I mean can you collect them until it all becomes a bigger number like lets say 5€ and cash it?
2-In what container would the cardboards with plastic parts go in? (Ex: Some cardboard boxes have this transparent plastic/film over it so that the item inside is visible)
Thank you
You can use it directly at the checkout if you buy something, it will be substrates from your bill.
We try to separate the plastic from the cardboard.
@@simplegermany thanks. Is it still possible to collect the receipts and use them later?
Depends what ‚later‘ means. They might have an expiration, not sure about that.
Should i put the wooden chopsticks in the bio tonne?
In Australia, this would never ever happen. Most find it difficult to separate recyclable from non recyclable, let alone defining it any further.
I saw 16 minutes long video and I was liker seriously.... Does there need to be a 16 min video of how to throw out trash... But this was very enjoyable and somewhat fascinating...
God bless on your UA-cam channel
😅🙈 glad to hear it was worth it!
Very helpful video. Explained clearly.
Great video. Thank you for taking the time to provide a comprehensive explanation. I only have one question: Which bin could I use to dispose styrofoam?
Plastic 😉
@@simplegermany thank you very much
in my head all this video was the
girl that is surprised with different shapes box game. in this one goes to... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 thank for video very informative 🙂
Really good!
Good content :) thanks 💗
Do the lids from jars and wine bottles go into the yellow can?
Yes ☺️
Thank you for such an informative video, i am in Germany these days and I don’t know where to bin pads and baby pampers?
Those go into the Restmüll - that’s normal trash. Usually these bins are all black 😊
Very informative. Thanks
Thanks for your video. Very helpful.
One more question. Where would we throw the glass dishes (like plates and bowls) because they usually don't fit in the bottle containers unless we break them into smaller pieces.
Hi Ali. They belong to Restmüll, schwarze Tonne. In the glass container they would spoil the glass that is molten to become new glass containers
I have a question Yvonne and Jen. Where should I dispose plastic hair shampoo bottles and deodorant glass containers with some deodrant still inside it ? The problem is I don't know where to empty the remaining shampoo and deodorant. I know that I shouldn't contaminate the water by pouring it into sink. Vielen Dank!
The empty shampoo bottles belong in the plastic (yellow) trash and the deodorant as well. Some dm stores also have special containers at the entrance for deodorant if you rather throw it there 😊
Hi! Thanks a lot for the video! Few questions:
1) If my household don't have yellow bin (only dark green and blue), where should i throw plastic boxes, food wraps and anything other that normaly should be placed in yellow bin?
2) So, in blue bin i could place any paper and cartons, but it should be clean, flat and pressed. Correct?
3) And aslo if there is no brown bin, where should food waste go?
Hey Konstantin,
1. Some districts in Germany don't have a plastic trash collection. In these cases you need to bring the yellow plastic trash bags to a trash collection center yourself. Ideally, you ask your landlord how it is handled for your area.
2. Correct 😊 - however, if the cartons are too big, you should bring them to the bigger carton containers on the streets (as shown in the video)
3. Not all areas in Germany have a brown bio bin (we don't have one), so your regular food waste also goes into the black bin (Restmüll).
Hope this helps 😊
@@simplegermany That's definitely helpful! Thanks! One thing I wonder, in what cases should i use a green bin? I'm located in Dusseldorf.
How can I find the location of the big bans where I can put the amazon boxes cardboards in my town?
My moms apartment building locks their trash cans so they dont get fined for having the wrong items in the trash.
very informative video!
What about where /how to dispose of cat litter/ pet waste? I could be over thinking this but I don't recall anyone mentioning this anywhere.
You'd trow it out as Restmüll (so normal trash - black bin).
Can you please let me know where to throw the lids of the glasses away?
In the video you said, only the glass container is supposed to go in that particular place.
Also where would you throw metal things?
Thank you!
The lids go into the yellow plastic bin. 😊
@@simplegermany Thank you!:)
Normally every market in the retail trade is obliged to take back the leftover products (garbage) from things they sell, If there is no general possibility for this (residual waste, green or blue bin)
you can buy batteries in a market, they take your old ones back.
You can buy Electronics, theey take old electronis back.
You can buy car oil, ..you get it,
Even if u buy a new fridge in a shop, they take back ur old one.
Great I wish this is in Cyprus to
What color bin do milk cartons go? or paper or plastic soiled by food?
Plastic
Hey, can we go to any getränkemarkt to get the pfand for beer and fever tree bottles? Unfortunately can't find Hoffman getränkemarkt in Munich, the one I found is Getränkemarkt Blutenburgstraße 80? Will this work for pfand?
Yes, you can. As long as they also sell these drinks, they will accept the Pfand bottles 😊
Thank you. What about styrofoam peanuts? If there’s paper on the plastic, do you have to remove the paper? Again, thank you so much for your videos.
Styrofoam goes into the yellow plastic bin. And yes, ideally you separate the paper from the plastic 😊
@@simplegermany Danke!
I would like to know, where can I thought the used cooking oil and large garden waste
Smaller amounts of cooking oil go into the Restmüll or down the drain (when cleaning pans etc.). Larger amounts should be brought to your local Wertstoffhof. For garden waste you can use your green or brown garbage bins. For larger amounts each city has a specific drop off area, which you could google 'Entsorgung von Gartenabfällen' for your city.
@@simplegermany thank you very much🙂
I thought that all the proper container would be next to each other, Looks like you had to go super far from your house! 🤔
Question: what about the oil? Do you return to the supermarket or do you have a container for that?
By the way, I loved this video!
I think that is very important and informative.
My husband and I are thinking about moving to Germany, but there so many things that we don't know and with your videos we are learning a lot.
Thank you much for those videos! ❤️
The regular trash is right by your house. But for bottles, big cardboard, or special waste you need to exit your house. Big amounts of oil should go in special waste at a recycling center.
Thinking about moving can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Just take one step at a time 😊
Where do you throw away the lids for your white glass containers?
In the yellow plastic.
Apart from the graffitis, your bins are remarkably clean. I'd expect people to throw random smelling garbage in the recycling bins because the rest-bins are locked or full. How does the automatic bottle receptacle identify the bottle reliably? A lot of this trash could be used to heat a house in winter. But in a city paper creates a heap of trash that fills a bin quickly.
Thank you for the detailed video. Please be so kind to advise on where to throw away old medical supplies such as used syringes, needles and expired medicine, etc. Would a pharmacy be able to assist? (General rule of return to the place of purchase?)
In private households those go into the Restmüll. Needles and syringes should be placed in closed containers beforehand. Hope this helps.
return to the place you can buy them is the general and good idea. Throwing old medicine in the waste makes it go into the water in the end. the pharmacies can collect them and take care of them properly. Dont pollute the nature with your old medicine. Some aspirin in the waste wont do harm, but your antibiotics... no. nonono.
The general rule is: whoever sells it, has to take back the old. As my new TV was delivered the guy took the old one with him.
Thats also the reason the supermarkets have trash bins for paper, plastics and so on on the exit. Get rid off the unwanted and not needed package material in this place yet. No need to take it home.
I'd like to know how to dispose cat litter or hygiene pads ?
In the Restmüll 😊
Thank you very much for this video. It didn't answer just one detail that I've been arguiung about with my partner: empty tetrapack packages, do they belong in the paper waste, or the plastic waste?
Hey Mauricio, thanks a lot for your great feedback! 😊 Tetra Packs belong in the yellow plastic waste. Take a closer look at one and you usually find a yellow circle stating Gelbe Tonne. So which one did you vote for: plastic or paper? 😉
@@simplegermany thanks! I had said paper, because the tetrapacks are mostly made out of carton board, but I guess I was wrong! 😁 I looked at the tetrapacks I have at home and none has the yellow mark of gelbe tonne, but anyway I take your word for it. Many thanks!!
Thank you for the informative Video. What about the metal caps of products or anything metallic?
Metal caps from glass canisters go in the plastic trash. Anything else metallic depends on what it is and how big. It might need special disposal at the Wertstoffhof.
@@simplegermany Thank you 😁
Fascinating
What about clean foil/aluminum paper? Where is that thrown?
They belong in the yellow plastic trash.
We have 2yellow, 2green and 1 bio bin, where the sanitary waste would go?
What’s the difference for you between green and bio? Sanitary waste usually goes into the Restmüll.
We use to watch your videos in Canada and now we are in Germany and would like to talk to you.
Fantastic! Welcome to Germany! 🥳 If you would like to talk to us personally, you can book a 1:1 video consultation at simplegermany.com/consultation 😊
At first a video about cycling in germany - and now one about recycling... Great. 😂
I love all your videos- thank you 😊… it’s cute to see how many Germans are watching such videos too :) it’s great to read their comments - it brings more insights ❤️🇩🇪
We agree!! We love the input of our German viewers as well 😊
Hey, thanks for the detailed video.
We got a diet coke from the local Spätkauf, the bottle doesn't have the recycle symbol, also the local supermarket machine did not accept the bottle. Do we return the bottle to the place we bought it from?
It probably says Mehrwegflasche on it, which means it is a multi use bottle and has Pfand. You can return it at any Getränkemarkt (a shop that only sells drinks) or where you bought it.
I was recently in Dusseldorf and was surprised by the waste bin surfers from street tramps to tidy dressed people going from rubbish bin to rubbish bin looking for empty drinks cans and bottles we even had a guy ask us for our cans while sitting on a cafe terrace
Thank you very much. I live in Kaiserslautern and could not figure out how to dispose bio degradable trash. There is a brown biodegradable trash can of the apartment, and when I look in it, I see that people disposed their biodegradable trash in special (I assume degradable) green bags. However, I heard in a video about Germany that we should not throw away biodegradable trash in a bag, even if it is a special bag made for this purpose. I am very confused and my biodegradable trash in rotting in my house :D help please!
😅 we don't have biodegradable trash, but people who have it, usually use a special biodegradable bag for it, as far as we know. If you don't want to use a bag, why don't you just take your trash bin to the brown bin and empty it directly into it? 😇
Or you can use newspaper to wrap it
Hi thank you for the content @simplegermany . Where can i throw the old nail clippers and scissors? I couldn’t find an answer online. Thanks,
And nail files..
We would throw that to the Restmüll.
Hi Jen, i have a questio- milk carton, plastic oil bottles and food packed in container should go in which bin ?
Milk cartons go into plastic, if the oil bottles don’t have Pfand, they go as well in plastic and the food packaging depends on it’s material.
@@simplegermany thanks 🙏
The video was really helpful!!! But where do the metal cans(like the food cans of cooked beans) or the milk cartons go?
Both the cans and milk cartons go into the bin for plastic stuff. You can find a detailed list of things in our guide here: www.simplegermany.com/trash-guide-germany/#Yellow_bin_Plastic_and_soft_metal
Hi, just to say that TECHNICALLY taking stuff from Sperrmüll is illegal because..actually, I'm not quite sure why, it has sth. to do with whose property the stuff is a what specific time. So yea, you can take stuff from Sperrmüll and most folks won't mind (as long as you don't leave a mess behind) but make sure there's no police or Ordnungsamt or annoyingly German neighbour around.
Thank you for this useful video! I have a question and would be really happy if you could reply. I've heard that it's forbidden to pour oil into the toilet or sink since it's thicker and hard to separate from water and clean. Where can I pour the oil from food and for example from canned fish etc? Thank you!
You can dispose of it in the Restmüll. Depending on how much it is, you should collect it in a plastic bottle and then dispose of it or bring it to a recycling farm (Wertstoffhof).
In my country (Croatia) old cooking oil can be disposed of at the gas stations. And they also take other types of oil as well, mostly car oil, but others as well. Possibly odd, but that's how it is.
To which bin the coconut shell should go?
That would be Restmüll.
@@simplegermany thank you!
What is the correct place for Styropor?
The bin for plastic :)
U have yellow bins? We've got only 2 green bins, 1 black and 1 brown 😮
Then you probably only have yellow trash bags (in some areas especially in the south that is the case)
Hey thank you for this detailed video! I have a question: where can I throw away electronics if I didn’t buy it from here? I have a kitchen appliance that I brought with me from my home country and now it broke. Can I still take it to Mediamarkt?
Hey Dana, you can dispose it via the Sperrmüll. We talk about it in our guide: www.simplegermany.com/trash-guide-germany/#Furniture_and_bulky_items. To book an appointment for your town, search for Sperrmüll Termin + city name 😊
Hey Jen, Thanks a lot for sharing!!! How exactly do you separate the trash in your house? do you use several bins to sort it out?
Yes we do. It is very common in German households to have different trash bins according to which big bins are being collected. We separate plastic, paper, bottles and rest garbage.
@@simplegermany Awesome!!! I am a student in Düsseldorf and I am doing my thesis on waste Separation. Would you be willing to answer a few questions in this regard?
There is korean beer brand that my discount shop didnt accept, how can i know which store pfand accepts them?
The rule is that small shops and supermarkets accept the bottles that they sell. Also, usually big 'Getränkemarkt' accept most bottles with pfand. If they don't, then you need to go back to the shop where you bought the beer.
One question.
How to dispose toxic waste?
Like used toilet paper and sanitary pads and tampons for women?
Toilet paper goes into the toilet and you can flush it. Any hygienic products such as sanitary pads and tampons go into the Restmüll. 😊
@@simplegermany thank you so much for replying!
I found FindajobinGermany team through one of your videos back in July. Now I have an offer and moving to Cologne (Köln) at the end of January 2023! :)
Thanks for all the information. I have been binge watching your videos recently !! :)
We just arrived in Hamburg and are really confused. In the basement of our house we have containers with red lids only and our landlord said we can throw away everything in it😟 - is that common?
Also can’t find any Pfand “machine” in the grocery stores nearby (Rewe, Edeka, Aldi). Even tried to find it on the map but got nothing(( Do you have any tips?🙏
Welcome to Hamburg! Just had a quick Google and Hamburg definitely also has the regular recycling system. It could be though that your landlord does not abide by it, the way you describe it. And there should definitely be machines to return Pfand. In Aldi they are usually next to the entrance or all the way in the back. In Rewe we have also seen extra little buildings 10 meters next to the actual supermarket, so maybe have another look around or ask an employee of the supermarket 😊
@@simplegermany aha ok thank you so much! gonna try to find these pfand machines again👀
is it even legal not to abide the recycling system?
How do I dispose off leftovers, Restmüll or Biomüll?
We would say Restmüll.
I wish the United States would take notes about this. We really need to do the same thing because our trash is absolutely ridiculous.
YOU are the Americans and YOU are about to make a change!!! Please don't throw away your responsibility. You don't do it in favor of Germany, nor of the whole world, but for YOURSELF and your loved ones. To be vegan is another topic, but comes next, if you love your children. I didn't like to hear this either, but unfortunately it is the cruel reality. We have to change NOW!!! All of us. Edit: please excuse my English, as you may have detected that I am a German, plus an older one👵 and the English language is not my skill number one.😂