Day 38: Recycling in Hannover

"Years ago, we all talked about recycling and not dumping things down your drain and all of that, but talking doesn't help much. Basically, it's going to have to be legislation because the impact is so huge and diversified" - Ted Danson

Project 365: #38

I know many places around the world recycle their goods, but the efficiency with which it happens here is inspiring. I would love to implement these systems throughout the world, but it takes money, manpower, and education. All of these services are invoiced, but mandatory. Firstly, our home waste is divided into real "trash" (only garbage that cannot be recycled goes into a black bin); paper (goes into blue plastic bags or a blue bin); plastic (all plastic, except bottles, goes into yellow bags); and bio-garbage (basically anything you would compost goes into a brown bin). These are collected regularly by the local services. You can also subscribe to an additional "orange" bin for recyclable appliances, like toasters, etc. The mandatory bags are available by request from the cashiers at some of the supermarkets (much to my dismay when we first arrived here, not knowing how to ask for them!!) Many of the public bins in town are segregated in the same way.

Then, down the road, near the supermarkets there are always glass recycling bins, divided into their different colours. Very often, the clothing and shoe donation bins are also nearby as in the picture.

Then, in the supermarkets, there are plastic bottle and glass reclamation machines. So, when you purchase your liquids in recyclable bottles (with a recyclable barcode on them, e.g. water and some beer bottles) you pay a small deposit. Then you take the empty bottles to the reclamation machines, feed them in, and you receive a voucher for the value of the deposit to use in the shop. In some shops, you have the option to donate this amount to a charity, instead of using it yourself. Also in here, and in most supermarkets, there is a battery-recycling drop-off bin. The quality of these pics is not very good as I had to sneak around after hours to avoid being questioned!

How did this all become so efficient, and how do we implement it throughout the rest of the world with the same efficiency??? I sometimes lie awake thinking about this, knowing it is an important step in environmental sustainability. I do realise that this has been achieved here through strict legislation, but maybe, if we all do our little part towards recycling, then it will spiral, with more and more people taking part and educating more and more people? Eventually it becomes a habit. In the words of Linda Evangelista "God help anyone who disobeys my recycling system. I have all the separated bins. I'm very adamant about it because I try to be a good citizen of the world, I really do. I even use eco-friendly cleaning products, but sometimes you just have to break open the disinfectant. Some jobs require it"....and even then I feel guilty!!

I have even stopped purchasing plastic bags in the shops, always taking my basket with me out of habit...when it is empty, that is!