Situation of waste management in Hamburg
For the sake of the environment, significant importance is attached to the separation of waste in Hamburg. Much is done to properly dispose the garbage or to recycle parts of it. This reduces the number of landfills, saves raw materials and leads to the fact that less waste is burned. However, a lot of garbage is still produced by the inhabitants and not every tenant performs the garbage separation as it is prescribed.
Garbage separation system in Hamburg
In Hamburg there are several garbage cans for the disposal of garbage instead of throwing everything into the same bin. The reason is that separated garbage is reusable. This is how new products such as newsprint, flower pots or bottles are made of old paper, plastic, glass and other garbage. Therefore, garbage is not only separated in residential houses and dormitories, but also on the whole campus area and at other public places such as the train stations and on trails at the forest. It is important to the population of Hamburg that garbage is not lying around in the nature, in public places, on the roadside or in front of gardens.
The society in Hamburg has developed a specific system for garbage separation. According to the city portal of Hamburg there are various containers for the disposal of garbage:
The society in Hamburg has developed a specific system for garbage separation. According to the city portal of Hamburg there are various containers for the disposal of garbage:
Various containers
The garbage cans come in many colors and shapes. Each house has its own garbage cans.
- The blue bin for the paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard are collected in blue bins. Into the bins are going magazines, leaflets, books, letters, paper bags and paper or carton packaging. Milk cartons or beverage cartons, wallpaper, gift wrap, diapers or wet wipes do not belong in there.
- The green bin for the organic garbage
Organic waste such as leftovers, fruit and vegetable waste, egg and nutshells, coffee filters, tea bags, as well as garden waste like greenery and grass clippings belong into the green bin / organic waste collection bin. Furthermore, things you can eat or things to do with nature and plants belong in there too. But fluids, cigarette ends or diapers do not belong in here.
- The yellow bin and the yellow sack are for valuable material
Into the so called yellow bin or yellow bin bag, all things made of metal, art fabric or packaging such as empty tins, plastic packages, or beverage cartons are placed, as those can be recycled.
- The old glass container for glass
Old glass is not collected in a bin. There are large containers for it:
The old glass containers. Things in glass belong in these containers like glass bottles for drinks, juice bottles or wine bottles, glass bottles for vinegar or oil, fruit glasses, jam jars, mustard glasses or cucumber glasses. Mirrors, window glass, light bulbs, energy-saving bulbs or dishes do not belong in here.
- The black bin is for the residual waste
Residual waste is garbage that neither includes pollutants nor reusable components and that we cannot separate. For example, ash, dust bag, cigarette ends, rubber, leather, cat litter, wallpapers, toiletries, and diapers are thrown into the black bin.
- Collecting bodies for electrical appliances and problem substances
Many electrical shops have a collection point for old batteries or electrical appliances.
The city cleaning has a collecting bus for problem substances.
The bus stops in many parts of the city.
In Hamburg, using the blue recovered paper bin, the yellow recyclable material bin and the bottle banks is free of charge. Fees must be paid for the collection of the black non-recyclable refuse bin and the green biowaste bin only. Waste disposal fees are already included in the gross rent of an apartment or house.
- The blue bin for the paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard are collected in blue bins. Into the bins are going magazines, leaflets, books, letters, paper bags and paper or carton packaging. Milk cartons or beverage cartons, wallpaper, gift wrap, diapers or wet wipes do not belong in there.
- The green bin for the organic garbage
Organic waste such as leftovers, fruit and vegetable waste, egg and nutshells, coffee filters, tea bags, as well as garden waste like greenery and grass clippings belong into the green bin / organic waste collection bin. Furthermore, things you can eat or things to do with nature and plants belong in there too. But fluids, cigarette ends or diapers do not belong in here.
- The yellow bin and the yellow sack are for valuable material
Into the so called yellow bin or yellow bin bag, all things made of metal, art fabric or packaging such as empty tins, plastic packages, or beverage cartons are placed, as those can be recycled.
- The old glass container for glass
Old glass is not collected in a bin. There are large containers for it:
The old glass containers. Things in glass belong in these containers like glass bottles for drinks, juice bottles or wine bottles, glass bottles for vinegar or oil, fruit glasses, jam jars, mustard glasses or cucumber glasses. Mirrors, window glass, light bulbs, energy-saving bulbs or dishes do not belong in here.
- The black bin is for the residual waste
Residual waste is garbage that neither includes pollutants nor reusable components and that we cannot separate. For example, ash, dust bag, cigarette ends, rubber, leather, cat litter, wallpapers, toiletries, and diapers are thrown into the black bin.
- Collecting bodies for electrical appliances and problem substances
Many electrical shops have a collection point for old batteries or electrical appliances.
The city cleaning has a collecting bus for problem substances.
The bus stops in many parts of the city.
In Hamburg, using the blue recovered paper bin, the yellow recyclable material bin and the bottle banks is free of charge. Fees must be paid for the collection of the black non-recyclable refuse bin and the green biowaste bin only. Waste disposal fees are already included in the gross rent of an apartment or house.
Recycling rate of Germany
According to Andreas Grieß, a data journalist from Statista, Germany, together with Austria, occupies the top spots in Europe when it comes to handling garbage. Germany recycles to Austria more than any other country in Europe. The recycling rate of Germany is 62 percent, the neighbouring country has a recycling rate one percentage-point higher than Germany.
Desired target for garbage separation not yet reached
After the introduction of a regulation on garbage separation, the separation of waste in Hamburg should be self-evident, but Hamburg does not live up to its own claims. According to Sven Kummereincke, editor at „Die Welt", many residents do not do the garbage separation as it is prescribed. The Tenants' Association, the Housing and Environmental Associations, want more pressure on residents by introducing coercive measures such as fines for refuseniks. However, the authority is voluntary.
The law on enforcement is in place, but it is not implemented. This is: Private households are obliged since 2015 to separate garbage according to the Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz (KrWG). So that a wrong separation is punishable.
According to Sven Kummereincke, Hamburg could not achieve the desired recycling targets. The obligation for all homeowners, which has existed since 1 January 2011, to erect containers for biowaste and paper in addition to the residual waste bin, is still ignored by many. There are currently 110,214 biotons in the city and 893,000 households on 232,000 properties. This corresponds to a rate of 47,7 percent. So far, not even every second of fulfils its mandatory. The paper has a better rate: 141,141 containers equal 60,6 percent.
The environmental agency says that there are also successes. The residual waste quantity had fallen by 30,000 tonnes more than planned. Hamburg separates its garbage much better than a few years ago.
According to "Zeit Online", the wrong sorting of garbage is another big problem in Hamburg. Many people in Hamburg do not sort the waste properly because they have difficulty sorting waste. Which ton is the right one for which garbage? This question is asked many citizens in Hamburg. About half of the waste in the yellow bin does not belong there, as the Federal Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (BVSE) announced.
Big problems get the recovery companies, for example, if a diaper ends up in the packaging waste. This is then considered contaminated and may no longer be recycled.
The Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) suspects that it is partly due to the lack of education about the separation system in some social milieus. According to a VKU spokesman, increasing migration could also be a reason for a lack of willingness to isolate: the German system is difficult for foreign nationals to understand and needs to be better explained.
In addition, more and more citizens show according to the "Hamburger Abendblatt" the illegal disposal of waste in the city cleaning. In 2017, the number of reported litterings reached a new high. 25,813 times the people from Hamburg complained about illegal waste disposal. In 2016 there were 22,520 and in 2015 only 19,633 complaints. Thus, the number of complaints has risen by 31 percent within two years. Only about four percent of the perpetrators were punished. The districts with the most illegal waste deposits are still St. Georg and St. Pauli. Although the city has tightened the fines and next year increases the responsibility for the city cleaning, the amount of illegally disposed waste in Hamburg has grown further.
The law on enforcement is in place, but it is not implemented. This is: Private households are obliged since 2015 to separate garbage according to the Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz (KrWG). So that a wrong separation is punishable.
According to Sven Kummereincke, Hamburg could not achieve the desired recycling targets. The obligation for all homeowners, which has existed since 1 January 2011, to erect containers for biowaste and paper in addition to the residual waste bin, is still ignored by many. There are currently 110,214 biotons in the city and 893,000 households on 232,000 properties. This corresponds to a rate of 47,7 percent. So far, not even every second of fulfils its mandatory. The paper has a better rate: 141,141 containers equal 60,6 percent.
The environmental agency says that there are also successes. The residual waste quantity had fallen by 30,000 tonnes more than planned. Hamburg separates its garbage much better than a few years ago.
According to "Zeit Online", the wrong sorting of garbage is another big problem in Hamburg. Many people in Hamburg do not sort the waste properly because they have difficulty sorting waste. Which ton is the right one for which garbage? This question is asked many citizens in Hamburg. About half of the waste in the yellow bin does not belong there, as the Federal Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (BVSE) announced.
Big problems get the recovery companies, for example, if a diaper ends up in the packaging waste. This is then considered contaminated and may no longer be recycled.
The Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) suspects that it is partly due to the lack of education about the separation system in some social milieus. According to a VKU spokesman, increasing migration could also be a reason for a lack of willingness to isolate: the German system is difficult for foreign nationals to understand and needs to be better explained.
In addition, more and more citizens show according to the "Hamburger Abendblatt" the illegal disposal of waste in the city cleaning. In 2017, the number of reported litterings reached a new high. 25,813 times the people from Hamburg complained about illegal waste disposal. In 2016 there were 22,520 and in 2015 only 19,633 complaints. Thus, the number of complaints has risen by 31 percent within two years. Only about four percent of the perpetrators were punished. The districts with the most illegal waste deposits are still St. Georg and St. Pauli. Although the city has tightened the fines and next year increases the responsibility for the city cleaning, the amount of illegally disposed waste in Hamburg has grown further.
