Handling organic waste

We produce waste every day. This waste must be disposed of properly. We throw a large proportion of our garbage into bins. There is a law for this. It's called the Kreis-Lauf-Wirtschafts-Gesetz. This law states that waste must be disposed of separately. This means that waste is sorted according to different types of waste. For example, there is residual waste, organic waste, paper and cardboard, glass and plastic. There is a separate garbage can for each type of waste.

This text is about the correct disposal of organic waste. Organic waste includes food, fruit peelings, vegetable peelings, egg shells, garden waste, tea bags and coffee filters. Or even leftover meat, fish and bones. Organic waste belongs in the organic waste garbage can. It is important to always separate the food from the plastic packaging beforehand. The plastic packaging goes in a different garbage can. Only food is allowed in the organic waste garbage can.

Plastic bags are also not allowed in the organic waste garbage can. Organic waste can be collected in old paper instead. For example, the paper can be placed in the organic waste bin. The paper absorbs the moisture from the organic waste and can be disposed of together with the organic waste.

Waste separation is important because the organic waste can be reused. For example, organic waste is further processed in biogas plants. There, the organic waste is turned into biogas. And electricity is generated from the biogas. In addition to electricity, heat is also generated, which can be used to heat swimming pools, schools or hospitals.

In the biogas plants, organic waste is also turned into fertilizer and compost. Fertilizer and compost can be used in agriculture and make the soil in the fields more fertile. This allows plants to grow better in the fields.

Every year, around 5 million tons of organic waste does not end up in the organic waste garbage cans, but in the residual waste garbage cans and even in the toilet. This means that the organic waste cannot be used to generate electricity, heat, compost or fertilizer. In times of an energy crisis, it is therefore all the more important to separate waste correctly.

The organic waste garbage can is emptied every 7-14 days by the waste collection service.

The dates can be found in the city's waste calendar: