Germany – everything in one bin?

With the help of modern technology, the yellow bin could be a thing of the past and when Green Dot waste will be mechanically sorted from household waste, according to Stern, though representatives from the recycling industry remain sceptical.



It is possible that the days of the yellow bin for collecting packaging waste are numbered. "Collecting household waste and light packaging so that it can be separated mechanically is an innovative and promising technology", stated SPD politician and waste expert, Antje Vogel-Sperl, at an expert hearing in the Bundestag.



Parties such as the FDP have called for waste separation to be made easier for users, however, no concrete plans yet have been proposed. Trials are being carried out, whereby Green Dot packaging waste is discarded into the same bin as conventional household waste and separated afterwards with modern machines. Not only will this help to simplify waste disposal in the home, but also make waste collection much easier. Experts argue that the results of the study leaves many questions unanswered.



Antje Vogel-Sperl, believes that the call for and end to waste separation may be premature. Effective Separation of materials such as organic waste, paper and glass must remain. Other waste separation systems, which don‘‘t bring any ecological benefits, or which can be carried out at modern waste sorting plants need to be re-evaluated. The FDP, who requested the expert hearing, agreed. They believe that the evidence is there to show that residual and packaging waste can be thrown away in the same container without detriment to the environment. "If the contents of the yellow and the grey bin are practically identical, then it is logical that they should be collected together, with the exception of paper, compost and glass" says FDP environment expert, Birgit Homburger.



Overall, the quantity of waste produced in Germany has fallen, according to the Federal Office of Statistics. 381 million tonnes of waste was sent to landfill or was incinerated in 2002, 14 million tonnes less than the previous year