Eco Africa reporter Wacera Ngunjiri explores Germany's bottle deposit system and how small contributions — like sorting trash — can make a big impact.

Berlin

Germany's recycling system features a detailed sorting process, with color-coded bins for paper, plastics, glass, and general waste. A key component is the deposit refund scheme for bottles, which incentivizes residents to return empty containers to supermarkets in exchange for cash, reducing plastic waste and encouraging recycling.

Advanced sorting facilities, like those run by InterZero, use machines to separate materials for recycling, helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, challenges persist, as only 46% of plastic waste is recycled, with the rest incinerated for energy. Experts suggest further political commitment and expanded refund systems could improve outcomes. The system also promotes sustainable habits, such as using reusable bottles and drinking tap water.

Germany's recycling system: sorting trash and saving cash

This is my morning routine, for most days, and being in a new country hasn't changed that. I still get to do what I love. I am Mashara Gonjiri, a DW reporter from Nairobi, Kenya. The coolest part of jogging here? The breathtaking views. Berlin is such a beautiful city. But hold up. One of my biggest culture shocks in Germany? Trash. In Kenya, I just have one bin where everything goes. But here? There's a blue one for paper, yellow for plastics and packaging, green for glass, and black is for the rest. It's like a color-coded game of sustainability. No, stop. You're throwing away money. Yes, you can bring it back to the supermarket and get a deposit back. Really? I have so many in my house. I think I need to do that. Where can I take them? You can bring it to any supermarket. For any? Okay, thank you so much. No problem. I came to Berlin with my sister, and we drink a lot of bottled water every day. Now I know we can get money back for returning the empty bottles in any supermarket. This system makes everyone think twice about plastic use. The less plastic we demand, the less new plastic gets made. This is a found automat, a deposit return machine. It is one of Germany's recycling superheroes. Here is how it works. When you return the bottles, you get your money back. If you don't, you lose it. Normally when you buy water in these bottles, you will have to pay a little extra. Curious about what happens in the plastic sorting plants, I visited one that is run by InterZero. Today, I'm meeting Björn Schwisch, who is the general manager. Every morning, when I enter the delivery hall and I see that huge mountain of waste delivered every day and every day and every day, and this is only the waste from Berlin and the surrounding areas, I see how much waste we as citizens are producing, and that's the my story that tells that a zero waste mission is important. This is one of InterZero's five sorting facilities in Germany. Here, waste is sorted by advanced machines that separate the different kinds of packaging waste into material streams. The easiest material to sort and to recycle is the monomaterials. They are very easy to sort and to recycle, and as well as tin plate, ferro metals and so on. Aluminium is as well included in the yellow bag. Not so good recyclable are the multi-layer packages. The sorted plastics are pressed into bales and sent to recycling plants. These processed by InterZero alone cut about 1.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, according to Fraunhofer Institute, one of Germany's renowned research centres. But still, the recycling plant faces some challenges. A clear commitment from the politics to a sustainable economy would be very good. For example, if the polities would decide that we have to implement a refund system for batteries, that would be perfect, because everyday sorting plants and recycling plants are burning because of batteries that are thrown into the bins. Some experts argue Germany still doesn't recycle as much waste as statistics suggest, especially when it comes to plastic packaging. According to official statistics, only 46% of plastic waste is recycled, while 53% is burned to generate energy. That means turning plastic waste into usable heat, electricity or fuel. But recycling with the deposit system helps Germany stay cleaner and greener. I really like the refund automates in Germany, because that ensures that a pretty pure fraction with a high quality of PET bottles is collected. We can even, in our sorting plants, we can separate PET bottles and PET cups as well. But it's always better on the point of collection to separate it. Germany is promoting a circular economy through such deposit-based recycling systems. And that's not all I'm learning here. I just found out tap water is absolutely safe to drink. And Germany's tap water ranks among the best in the world. So nowadays, I carry my reusable bottle everywhere, and there's no need for endless plastic bottles. New country, new habits and new lessons to share. And don't forget, every small step counts in protecting our planet.

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