3 R's--Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Just in case you're finding it too time consuming to recycle because it involves having two different receptacles for trash, let me offer a little lesson on the German way of disposing of waste.

I have FIVE different receptacles in my home and really should get a sixth.

One is for organic matter. Egg shells, vegetable and fruit peels, etc. What cannot go in here is cooked food. This bin mercifully seals airtight until time to dispose of it.

One is for items that have the Green Point symbol on them. These are things like cans, milk containers, ice cream boxes, etc. These cannot be thrown in with the regular trash.

One is for stuff that doesn't fall into any other mandated category. And oddly enough, there is quite a bit of this.

The above items can be taken to large receptacles at the end of our little street and put in the appropriate bins. But that's not all there is.

Another bin is for paper and cardboard items that are not Green Point but can still not be included with the regular trash. And then there are glass bottles that are non-returnable. They have to be taken and put into the appropriate bins according to whether they are green, clear or brown glass. It's actually kind of fun to smash them into the bins. So far I do not have a separate container for these as we don't generate too many of them. There is not a receptacle for these items at the end of our drive, so they have to be walked or driven to the appropriate depository.

My fifth bin is for deposit bottles that can be returned for money.


This is yet another reason why most German women do not have jobs outside the home. Sorting and depositing trash takes up too much time. I guess being kind to the earth takes more effort than I realized. And all of the effort it takes to get rid of the garbage makes you more inclined to reduce and re-use.