Waste separation is actually not rocket science. But countless pizza boxes still end up in the waste paper or electronic waste in the household waste.
- Incorrect waste separation harms our environment and the climate
- Pizza boxes and receipts - do they really belong in the paper bin ?
- Errors in waste separation
Offenbach - What exactly you should pay attention to when separating waste is not that easy. At least that's what many think. Basically, it's actually quite simple. There are seven categories according to which you can sort your garbage :
- Organic waste
- residual waste
- Waste paper
- Packaging waste
- Waste glass
- Bulky waste
- Electronic waste
But in which bin does which garbage belong ? A lot of packaging in Germany still loads in the residual waste instead of in the yellow sack. According to the Federal Environment Agency , that is almost 40 percent. As a result, they end up in the waste incineration plants and not in recycling , where important resources are extracted from packaging and used for new ones. The wrong sorting of the garbage damages our environment and the climate . This can also be a burden on your wallet. If you separate your garbage incorrectly, the garbage disposal may refuse to take it with you.
Do you separate your garbage correctly? Errors in waste separation
According to a study by the Federal Environment Agency for Residual Residential Waste in Germany, residual waste in Germany has almost halved for 35 years. Accordingly, many more valuable materials such as glass, paper and plastic are separated nowadays. Still, there are some errors that can prove harmful to us and our environment to be harmful. So what rubbish do you throw old magazines, food packaging or baking paper in?
Germany's residual waste has almost halved in 35 years. Much more recyclable materials such as glass, paper and plastic are now collected separately. Nevertheless, many recyclables still end up in the residual waste bin, although they don't belong there: https://t.co/QxQq4hsnS3 @Umweltbundesamt pic.twitter.com/tPEoyUB42E
- Federal Environment Ministry (@bmu) July 28, 2020Waste separation: what belongs in the waste paper bin?
Starting with the pizza boxes to old receipts. Many people throw this rubbish in their waste paper bins . This helps to protect the environment, which is why you should pay particular attention to the separation of waste. There are often leftovers in pizza boxes. As a result, the cardboard boxes cannot be recycled and therefore belong in the residual waste and not as waste paper. The same goes for receipts as most are printed on thermal paper. This is coated with harmful bisphenol A (BPA) and therefore also belongs in the residual waste. Only a few supermarkets, such as Alnatura or Edeka, pay attention to environmentally friendly paper. Sometimes you will find a small note on the back of the receipt if it is made of paper with the “Blue Angel” seal.
The quota of #waste paper used in papermaking has risen sharply in recent years. At the same time, however, paper consumption rose. Therefore, when buying paper, it is still important to pay attention to #sustainability. #blauerengel But the waiver is even better. pic.twitter.com/nlapH8SLT8
- The Blue Angel (@UmweltEngel) August 7, 2020Definitely not to waste paper also includes waste such as stickers, spotted bread bags, photos, food packaging, napkins and coated paper. This also includes baking paper. Because of the coating, it cannot dissolve in water. This means that baking paper also belongs in the general waste.
So you should only throw garbage in the waste paper bin that can be recycled . This also includes: letters, newspapers and magazines, shredder scraps, catalogs, as well as paper bags and egg cartons. Even with the latter, you should make sure that there are no residues in the box. Packaging and bags should be marked with the green dot , then you can be sure that you can throw it with the waste paper.
| Organic waste | Packaging waste | Waste glass | Waste paper | residual waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable waste (including citrus fruits, banana and nut shells) | Plastic such as foils, cups and styrofoam | Glass bottles | Cardboard and cardboard boxes | Hygiene items (e.g. handkerchiefs, sanitary towels, cotton balls) |
| Raw and cooked food and food scraps | Material mix (e.g. aluminum + paper) such as beverage cartons and milk cartons | Canning jars | Newspapers, magazines, catalogs | Baby diapers |
| Coffee and tea grounds, filter bags, egg shells | Metal like tin and beverage cans | books and exercise books | Dust, ash, garbage | |
| Green clippings and leaves | Foamed plastics, e.g. B. fruit and vegetable packaging | Cigarette butts | ||
| Kitchen towels, dishcloths and cleaning rags | ||||
| Vacuum cleaner bags | ||||
| Drinking glasses, porcelain, ceramics, all shards (including mirrors) |
Waste separation - other errors
Such errors do not only occur when separating waste paper . Did you know that you shouldn't stack yoghurt pots before throwing them away or that you shouldn't just throw away electronic waste with your household waste?
Especially with food packaging, such as yoghurt and quark cups, it is important to take care not to remove the lid and not to stack the containers. The Federal Environment Agency declares that the recyclable materials have to go through the sorting systems individually. There is an automated separation of the different materials, however, interconnected material combinations are not considered.
Furthermore, when separating rubbish , you should make sure that not every glass can go into the waste glass container . This is only intended for food and beverage packaging as well as pharmaceutical and cosmetic containers. Broken glasses, broken mirrors and window panes also belong in the residual waste. Otherwise it can happen that the waste glass is contaminated during melting.
Start poster of the dual systems, which nationwide information campaign "waste separation works"
© www.mülltrichtung-Dinge.de / dpa
Waste separation: what belongs in the residual waste?
And just in case there are still any questions: When you separate the waste, everything that could not be disposed of in the remaining bins goes into the residual waste . These include items that cannot be recycled such as diapers or vacuum cleaner bags, small plastic products such as old toothbrushes or ballpoint pens, medical waste and cigarette butts. Electronic waste should not be disposed of with household waste, but should always be taken to a recycling center. (Sarah Winter)
List of rubric lists: © Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa
