Christmas time and the waste pyramid
The idea for today's blog came to me when I told our trainee about the waste pyramid.
The waste pyramid, also known as the waste hierarchy, describes in five stages what we should pay attention to when it comes to waste and consumption.
So why not simply be contemplative about waste
At Christmas time in particular, many households produce a lot of waste in terms of presents, their packaging, Christmas cookies and family meals.
This is actually the best time to practise implementing the various stages of the waste hierarchy, which I will discuss in more detail below.
First step: waste prevention
The primary goal with regard to waste should be to ensure that no waste is produced in the first place. Of course, this is not always possible.
But my experience shows that there are surprisingly many ways to constantly improve here.
I myself have become more aware of this, especially in my everyday office life, as I tend to print out texts and presentations for revision and then write down thoughts and corrections with pens.
Today, I save myself a lot of paper as I try to work mainly on screen. A few posts further down is another example of waste avoidance. It's about filling the fridge correctly so that you end up throwing less (or preferably no) food in the bin.
Second stage: Reuse
The second stage describes the goal of not immediately throwing away things that have been used, but continuing to use them in their original function. The first two stages overlap to some extent, for example when I think of cotton bags for shopping. I can use them again and again (reuse) and save waste compared to disposable bags (waste prevention).
Third stage: Recycling
Of course, everyday life still produces waste that ultimately belongs in the garbage can. However, if separated correctly, this waste also offers a lot of potential in terms of raw materials and our environment. During tours of the recycling center, I usually talk about waste paper. Only if it ends up in the right bin can it be reused/recycled in the further cycle.
The same naturally also applies to organic waste (organic waste garbage can) and packaging (yellow garbage can).
Fourth stage: Other utilization
Some waste is so dirty and/or consists of a wide variety of materials that cannot be easily separated and therefore belongs in the residual waste garbage can.
The contents of the residual waste garbage can then end up in a waste-to-energy plant, where they are incinerated, releasing energy that is ultimately converted into electricity and district heating.
The cycle then ends for this waste, as it can no longer be used once it has been incinerated. A good example of this is used diapers or cigarette butts.
Fifth stage: Elimination
This last level of the waste hierarchy concerns waste that does not fit into any of the upper levels. Such waste must be stored safely for a long (sometimes indefinite) period of time.
Examples of this are toxic dust from filter systems or certain chemicals or even fuel rods from nuclear power plants. Fortunately, such waste rarely arises in everyday life, so I usually concentrate on the first four stages.
Christmas opportunities for practical implementation
In addition to the questions of what to give to whom, which I ask myself in my private life, we would like to give a few handy tips in the area of resources and waste advice right now with a view to Christmas.
The amount of waste is known to increase before and around Christmas. In the course of gift wrapping, food preparation and family gatherings, Christmas decorations and many more things that are beautiful, there are also many opportunities to pay attention to waste avoidance, reuse and recycling right now.
For example, you can find a number of craft ideas on the Internet for making new small gifts from old things. The same applies to Christmas decorations made from discarded items, which can bring a lot of joy with a little imagination.
To make browsing the internet a little easier, we have picked out a few practical tips and put them together on the following page:
Tips for avoiding waste over the Christmas period (opens in a new tab)
The entire Stadtwerke team would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy festive season and a good start to 2024. In the new year, we will once again be posting articles on the topics of waste avoidance, reuse and sustainability on our blog page.
If you are interested in a specific topic, please write to us directly at: ressourcen-abfallberatungstadtwerke-ofde
If you have any questions about resources and waste, the staff at the resources and waste advisory service will be happy to help you.