Germany’s often considered a recycler’s dream. It’s certainty not uncommon to find not just either a “recycling” or “waste” bin in the average German home, but rather a “paper”, “bio”, “plastic”, “metal”, and then “waste” bin. Sorting is their specialty. In fact, Germany reuses about half of its waste. And if you go to the grocery store you’ll notice most people bring their own bags.
The irony?
Keeping this in mind, it seems quite strange that in the average German supermarket organic foods, or “bio” as they’re called here, is wrapped in plastic. Organic is supposed to be sustainable, right? Why must it be wrapped in something that is not? In fact, according to figures from a recent study by the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), German’s are the number one producer or packaging waste and one of the highest per capita trash producers throughout Europe.
The DUH says that every German produces an average of 213 kilograms of packaging waste each year. That’s equal to approximately 600 grams per day. Compared to other countries in Europe, Germany’s figures are very high. In France the yearly waste is 185 kilograms, in Austria 150 kilograms and in Sweden 109 kilograms per year.
In fact, packaging waste has increased by 13% in Germany in the last decade. This is a trend echoed throughout the world.
What’s with all the plastic?
Why, if we’re all trying to pay more attention to our waste, is there more than ever before? Thomas Fishcher from the DUH told DW “there is a clear trend towards pre-portioning and smaller portioning, which produces enormous amounts of packaging”.
This result is two-fold. There are more and more single households and thus people are looking to buy less at a time. Secondly, the companies are doing this to try to hide the fact that their product sizes are also shrinking. A great example? Those little individual coffee cups made famous by Keurig. These use 16 times more packaging than conventionally packaged coffee groups but can earn the company up to four times the profit margin.
As well the famous German “pfand” (bottle deposit) system seems to be in steady decline. While first time residents of Germany may be impressed by the fact that most people use reusable bottles that are recycled for the deposit, this is slowly becoming a thing of the past. While 25 years ago 90% of water was sold in reusable bottles, that figure is less than 30% today. Discount supermarkets such as Aldi or Lidl have gotten rid of the bottom deposit altogether, offering no motivation for people to recycle.
What can be done?
Firstly, on the company’s end, a focus on sustainable, eco-friendly packaging is the first step. Rewe, for example, has banned all plastic bags in its stores in June (though the paper versions may be just as resource intensive).
As consumers, we can try to always bring our own bags when shopping and place an emphasis on purchasing products with sustainable packaging.
The government should also play a role in reducing waste. The city of Hamburg, for example, banned the use of coffee capsules in all public service offices.
