Learnings from Germany's Waste Management System

As our population surges, civic services are bound to get more stretched.Garbage/waste disposal is one of them.

What we possibly lack is a system, that which is all inclusive and acceptable (not by force but by choice); lack of which often creates chaos in our lives everywhere in India.

The centrepiece of Germany’s Waste Management Act is a five-level waste hierarchy that lays down a fundamental series of steps comprising waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and other elements besides, including energy recovery, and finally waste disposal.

Waste disposal in Germany has perhaps progressed from its disposal to its management.

Separate collection of the various types of waste is done in order to maintain waste-stream specific quality standards for recycling.
Waste is not only separated in residential houses and dormitories, but also at other public places such as the train station. Every household in general has: a green (for bio-degradable waste), a blue (for paper related), a yellow one (for plastic items), a black one (for miscellaneous items) and separate bins for brown, green and white colour glass bottles. The waste has to be sorted according to the material it consists of.

The instrument of product responsibility promulgated by the Waste Management Act defines responsibilities along the product life cycle, as well as incentives for manufacturers to make durable products that generate a minimum amount of waste.

Between 325 and 350 million tons (net) of waste are produced in Germany each year, with construction and demolition waste (including road construction) accounting for 60 percent of this waste, while municipal waste accounts for 14 percent, and hazardous waste for 5 percent.

The Green Dot system has been one of the most successful recycling initiatives, which has literally put packaging on a diet. The crux is that manufacturers and retailers have to pay for a "Green Dot" on products: the more packaging there is, the higher the fee. This clever system has led to less paper, thinner glass and less metal being used, thus creating less garbage to be recycled. The net result: a drastic decline of about one million tons less garbage than normal every year.

The legal framework for waste management in Germany had its beginnings in the early 19th century, when a few regions began adopting waste disposal laws. As the cause and effect relationship between a lack of municipal hygiene and widespread diseases such as cholera became ever clearer, people began to grasp the importance of proper drainage and waste disposal systems, leading to the adoption of appropriate measures in this regard by municipal and regional authorities.