Sooner or later every newcomer in Germany stands in a courtyard holding a yoghurt pot, facing four bins in four colours, with a neighbour watching from a window.
Mülltrennung, separating your waste, is taken seriously here. It's also less complicated than it looks. There are usually three or four bins at the house, glass goes to a container down the street, and a short list of things goes somewhere else entirely.
The Bins
| Bin | Usual colour | Goes in | Stays out |
|---|---|---|---|
Gelbe Tonne / Gelber Sack | yellow | packaging made of plastic, metal or composites: yoghurt pots, tins, foil, drinks cartons | toys, buckets and other plastic that isn't packaging |
Papiertonne | blue | paper, cardboard, newspapers, envelopes | till receipts, used tissues, greasy pizza boxes |
Biotonne | brown | fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, garden cuttings | plastic bags of any kind, cat litter |
Restmülltonne | grey or black | whatever can't be recycled: nappies, vacuum cleaner bags, cigarette ends, broken china | batteries, electrical items, anything that fits another bin |
Quick notes:
- Colours and details change from town to town. In some places the paper bin is green, in others the yellow bin also takes plastic and metal that isn't packaging. Your town publishes an Abfall-ABC, an A-to-Z list of what goes where. Search for it with the town's name.
- Some districts, especially in Bavaria, have no yellow bin at all. There you take packaging to the Wertstoffhof or to containers on the street.
- The yellow bin is for packaging. You don't need to wash anything, just empty it. Pull the foil lid off the yoghurt pot and put both in separately.
- "Compostable" plastic bags are not welcome in most Biotonnen. Use paper bags or newspaper.
- Restmüll is the expensive one. Households often pay for it by bin size, which is why the grey bin tends to be small and people guard the space in it.
The Words
rubbish
der Müll
waste
der Abfall
waste separation
die Mülltrennung
wheelie bin
die Mülltonne
rubbish bin
der Mülleimer
bin bag
der Müllbeutel
packaging
die Verpackung
waste paper
das Altpapier
used glass
das Altglas
organic waste
der Biomüll
general waste
der Restmüll
bulky waste
der Sperrmüll
hazardous waste
der Sondermüll
electronic waste
der Elektroschrott
rubbish collection
die Müllabfuhr
collection calendar
der Abfuhrkalender
recycling centre
der Wertstoffhof
Practice these words
der Müll
Quick notes:
- Die Mülltonne is the big bin with wheels outside. Der Mülleimer is the small one in your kitchen.
- The Abfuhrkalender tells you which bin is collected on which day. Towns post it, print it, and usually offer an app that reminds you the evening before.
Glass
Glass without a deposit goes into the Glascontainer on the street, sorted by colour.
| Container | What goes in |
|---|---|
Weißglas | clear glass |
Braunglas | brown glass |
Grünglas | green glass, and also blue, red or any other colour |
Quick notes:
- Only bottles and jars. Drinking glasses, window glass, mirrors and china are a different material and go in the Restmüll.
- Use the containers on working days in the daytime. Throwing bottles in on a Sunday or late in the evening breaks the quiet hours, and people do say something.
- Bottles and cans with a deposit go back to the shop. That system has its own page.
What Doesn't Go in Any Bin
| Item | Where it goes |
|---|---|
batteries | collection boxes in supermarkets and drugstores |
electrical items, cables | the Wertstoffhof, or back to larger shops that sell electronics |
furniture, mattresses | Sperrmüll: book a collection with the town or take it to the Wertstoffhof |
paint, chemicals, solvents | Sondermüll: the Wertstoffhof or a mobile collection van |
clothes and shoes | the Altkleidercontainer on the street |
energy-saving bulbs and LEDs | collection boxes in shops, or the Wertstoffhof |
medicines | depends on the town; never down the toilet or sink |
Quick note: leaving furniture on the pavement without a booked Sperrmüll date counts as illegal dumping, and towns do fine people for it. A note saying zu verschenken ("free to take") on a box of books is tolerated in many neighbourhoods. A sofa is not.
Phrases for the Courtyard
Where are the bins?
Wo stehen die Mülltonnen?
When is the rubbish collected?
Wann wird der Müll abgeholt?
Which bin does this go in?
In welche Tonne kommt das?
That goes in the yellow bag.
Das kommt in den Gelben Sack.
That's general waste.
Das ist Restmüll.
The bin is full.
Die Tonne ist voll.
Where is the nearest glass container?
Wo ist der nächste Glascontainer?
Where do I get yellow bags?
Wo bekomme ich Gelbe Säcke?
How do I book a bulky waste collection?
Wie melde ich Sperrmüll an?
Practice these words
Wo stehen die Mülltonnen?
Quick note: In welche Tonne kommt das? is a perfectly good way to start a conversation with a neighbour. Germans enjoy being asked, and the answer will be thorough.
Why People Care So Much
The bins are shared. In an apartment building everyone uses the same bins. If the collectors find plastic in the organic waste, they can leave the bin standing with a sticker on it. The special collection that follows goes onto everyone's running costs.
It costs money. Paper, packaging and organic waste are cheap or free to dispose of. Restmüll is charged by volume. Putting recyclables in the grey bin fills it faster and raises the bill for the whole house.
Collection day has its own routine. Bins go out to the kerb the evening before or early in the morning, and back in the same day. In many buildings the caretaker does it. In smaller houses the tenants take turns, and the Hausordnung says who.
Where Does It Go? A Quick Lookup
| Item | Bin |
|---|---|
pizza box, clean | Papiertonne |
pizza box, greasy with cheese on it | Restmüll |
till receipt | Restmüll |
yoghurt pot and its lid | Gelbe Tonne, separated |
milk or juice carton | Gelbe Tonne |
tin can | Gelbe Tonne |
jam jar | Glascontainer; the lid can stay on |
broken drinking glass | Restmüll |
tea bag, coffee filter | Biotonne |
used tissue, baking paper | Restmüll |
envelope with a plastic window | Papiertonne |
nappy | Restmüll |
old phone charger | Wertstoffhof or a shop's collection box |
When you're unsure about an everyday item and there's nobody to ask, the Restmüll is the safe choice. The exceptions are batteries and anything with a plug or a cable. Those never go in a bin.