Trennung

Throwing stuff away in Germany is never simple for the foreigner. Anybody who's had a layover at the Frankfurt or Munich airports has seen part of what I'm talking about.

In Germany there are a number of different kinds of trash. There are trash cans for recyclable trash (yellow containers or just a Gelbe Sack), non-recyclable trash (black container), and biodegradable trash (green container); but that's not all. There is also separate trash collection for glass, which must be separated by the glass color (white, brown, or green), and there is also a separate trash bin for paper (blue containers). So those are five different ways you can dispose of your trash. Feel free to offer ideas on how to fit 5 trash cans in my tiny kitchen (aside from getting rid of all my regular kitchen stuff).

But things don't stop there. Just when you think you have earned a degree in trashology you still need to master the trash calendar. The trash calender is a booklet that tells you what kind of trash is which and when it will actually be collected. This trash calendar has nine listings for the different kinds of trash to be picked up because it includes a schedule for things like appliances that you might throw away. (thanks to Jim R. for this text)

There's no trash picking here because you must call for an appointment, set your things out that morning, and then a truck comes to pack up your old chairs, lamps, etc. Sad. I scored some pretty cool stuff trash picking in college and post-college days. Scrap metal is a little different. About once a month I hear the clanging of a large bell going down the street; this is the scrap metal dude in his giant truck. He picks up your rusty rake and old lawn chairs for no charge because later he sells the contents of his truck to a scrap metal dealer for a bag of Euros.

So, Happy Earth Day!