In Greifswald, garbage is separated into compostable and noncompostable items. Items that are compostable like food and egg shells are put in a special type of bag and then into a special bin outside of the apartment. Noncompostable garbage means everything else that can't be recycled in this way. Unlike in Minnesota (where everything is thrown in one big bin) recycling in Germany is separated by people at home. My roommates and I have multiple bags in a closet where we sort our recycling before taking it to the bigger bins outside. One bag is for paper and cardboard, one is for plastics and another is for glass. When we take the bags outside to put them in the bigger bins, the glass needs to be separated again by its different colors, green, brown and clear. Each recycling bin has a different color, which is the same everywhere in Germany, so it's really easy to figure out where everything goes!
Dealing with trash and recycling can be confusing and time consuming if you don't know what you're doing. However, if you have a lot of bags and organize as you go, it becomes managable. It's worth it because it's so much better for the environment! Thanks to my time in Germany, I see the process of waste disposal in a completely different light!
