Garbage Disposal and Recycling
Friedensau has a strict waste separation policy—an important contribution to sustainability and order on campus. Please be sure to sort your trash correctly:
- Paper goes in the blue bin,
- organic waste goes in the brown bin,
- plastic and metal packaging goes in the yellow bin,
- general waste goes in the black bin,
- and glass goes in the glass recycling bins.
You will find several large bins near the dorms or buildings you live in. Germans are proud of their recycling system (and quite frustrated with non-conformers…), so please separate your waste! In Germany, there is a functioning recycling system that you may not be familiar with. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the German separation system, because as long as you live in Germany we expect you to separate your garbage. Why is that? Because there are many raw materials in garbage that can be reused. If you count all varieties of recycling, up to 90% of our rubbish gets re-used in some way.
The waste separation system in Germany works like this: We throw paper and cardboard boxes (flattened, do not throw in as a package) into containers with the blue lid. All packaging, such as cans, plastic bottles, plastic filling material, please throw into the containers with the yellow lid. Organic materials such as fruit, vegetable, plant and food waste (without plastic bags) are thrown into the container with the brown lid. These materials go into the fields and should not contain, plastic bags or other rubbish. The absolute residual waste (everything that does not belong in the other containers in terms of material) is thrown into the black waste container.
There are glass containers near the gym: light glass bottles and jars in the white glass container; colored glass bottles in the green container.
Be considerate: Don’t put bags or other waste on the ground! There are other bins if yours is full. Generally, rubbish that is not in the bins will not be collected and it makes a smelly mess and animals may get into it!
Each bin emptying is counted by the waste disposal company, must be paid for by the university, and incorrect bin filling is subject to heavy fines. Please help preserve our environment.
