Getting excited about recycling

Standard collection of bins at apartment block

One of the first things to know about living with the locals here is that they get pretty excited about waste disposal. That's why when I moved into my flat here in Prenzlauer Berg, one of the first tasks to undertake was an initiation into the kitchen bin arrangements - we have four. One for plastic and tin cans, one for glass, one for paper and cardboard and one for food scraps. This is in rather stark contrast to the system of Sydney-siders which tends to be something along the lines of throwing everything that we'd like to think is recyclable but admittedly probably isn't into the bin with the yellow lid, and hoping for the best. Then when the bin with the yellow lid gets full, we either shove the rest into the bin with the red lid a little guiltily, steal a neighbour's bin or wait until the sun goes down, dump the stuff out the back on the road and then call the council the next day to complain about those filthy neighbours who are illegally dumping stuff again.

The Germans take pride in their system of responsible waste disposal and the seven different bins downstairs in my apartment block (see pic above) is a testament to this. For a foreigner, "taking the rubbish out" can be a little intimidating, trying to decipher exactly where the plastic fits in or which of the three bins for various coloured glass corresponds with the haul of beer and wine bottles you've collected over the last three weeks. After 5 years of university education, I still found myself standing forlornly in front of the seven bins wondering whether anyone would notice if I just shoved everything into the big black bin and did a runner. Don't worry, I worked it out eventually, upholding the practice of responsible waste disposal and avoiding the wrath of my co-residents.

Visiting a park in trendy, alternative suburb Kreuzberg, you can witness another phenomenon stemming from the Germans' commitment to recycling - the Pfandpiraten. When you buy a bottled drink here, you pay an extra 8c-25c "Pfand" for the glass or plastic bottle, and you get this back when you return the bottles to the supermarket (a larger scale, probably more successful version of what exists in South Australia). There are people, the Piraten (pirates) who scour the streets collecting empty bottles, returning them to the supermarket and cashing in. In the park, they'll even approach you and ask whether you're finished with your drink so they can take the bottle. It's an honest living and keeps the streets clean, a win-win situation in my opinion.

Crazy rabbit bin in a park in Kreuzberg

Local German diligently disposes of his glass.