When a group of foreigners get together in Germany there are a few topics of conversation that you can practically guarantee will come up. The top ten frustrations and annoyances will almost always include the topic of recycling. The systems can be overwhelming and confusing, especially if you are just finding your feet in a new country. Other foreigners are great for venting your frustrations to but also a fount of information on how to deal with the issue of waste and recycling in Germany.

The German enthusiasm for recycling is something that smacked me in the face as soon as I settled into my first flat here. I was frequently educated on my shortcomings by a severe woman named Frau Klopf who owned a seemingly endless wardrobe of natty nineties shell suits and a piercing scream that would not be ignored. Previous German Way writers have gone before me in this area, if you want to Win the recycling game, find out What to do with all your junk or more generally find out just where Germany lies in the world table for recycling, see? The foreigners have all the knowledge!

If you have ever attended a festival or Christmas market in Germany you are likely acquainted with the Pfand (deposit) system used to ensure the return of bottles, beer mugs, glasses and plates. This system also exists in everyday life, that bottle of beer from the supermarket, that can of lemonade from the corner shop or that bottle of milk from the biomarkt (organic market), all had an additional Pfand added at the till. It is up to you to get that deposit back. Your receipt will show you the items which have a Pfand added generally.

The Pfand system in Germany has been around since the 1920’s when it was introduced for some beer and water bottles and shortly followed by milk bottles. It was extended later in the 1970’s to include soft drinks and other products. The results of the system were a huge reduction in littering, because littering in Germany can mean literally throwing your money away.

You might notice a lack of diversity in bottle shape at your local Getränkemarkt (drinks supermarket) and this is due to the pfand system itself. Shops over a certain size must have a Leergutautomat (reverse vending machine) on site to accept back empties of products that they sell, and to issue a receipt which can be cashed in at the till and/or used to go towards your next spend in store. Since most supermarkets sell coca-cola you can return that bottle to virtually any leergutautomat, it doesn’t have to be at the shop you bought it from, but, a bottle of local apfelsaft (apple juice) only sold in a select few stores will need to be returned to where you purchased it.

The Leergutautomat – Individual bottles go in through the top whilst crates through the bottom. Don’t forget to take your receipt! Photo Credit – Alie

Most products will identify themselves as one of these groups –

Mehrwegflaschen (multiple use bottles) 0.8-0.15cents
– Glass – Beer bottles, water/soft drink, milk bottles
– Heavy duty reusable plastic bottles
-*Some glass yoghurt pots
Einwegflaschen (single use bottles) 0.25cents
– Thin plastic bottles
– Drinks cans for carbonated drinks
Getränkekiste (drinks crates) 3Euro (and sometimes more)
Pfandfrei (deposit free) – Which can be recycled at recycling points or through your regular recyclables collection
– wine bottles
-food cans
-spirit bottles

I’ll add a caveat too about smaller shops and specialist shops in general, any products that aren’t mainstream will generally have to be returned to the shop where they were purchased. You can get your Pfand back at the till.

And if you are attempting the Leergutautomat for the first time, don’t go on a Saturday morning, no one needs that much pressure.

Pfand also performs a vital social function in addition to reducing littering, it is also seen as a way to give money to those who need it. You will often see empty bottles and cans placed on top or beside a public bin. It is common to see people sifting through bins, hedges and at the Erlanger Bergkirchweih and Canstatter Wasen waiting outside the festival with shopping trollies to take away the valuable bottles, which have been drunk en route and are banned from being taken inside. These people are known as Pfandsammler (deposit collector) and many of the retired population supplements their income this way.

Returned 31 various bottles and used this cash towards my next shop instore – Photo credit – Alie

On the surface the Pfand system works well and plenty of countries look to Germany as a leader in recycling but other countries have not yet adopted a Pfand system because it is not as environmentally useful as it first appears. Yes there is less litter, the incentive to return Pfand products has Germans doing just that, but there has been little innovation on producing a real green alternative to plastic. Does a higher deposit on an Einwegflashe (single use bottle), which gets returned to you after a little effort, make any difference? Would you choose a product in a Mehrwegflasche (multiple use bottle) simply because there is a lower Pfand?

The intention to increase the use of reusable bottles has not, as yet, happened but in 2019 shops will be legally obligated to distinguish between reusable and non-reusable bottles on their shelves. A small step forward at least and it would seem like the future of recycling could be up to the public to decide. All I can say is don’t let the Pfand system intimidate you, that money is yours to get back if you want it.

– Alie

P.S. A name has been changed to protect the dear lady who went out of her way to educate an entire block of flats about their recycling insufficiencies