Recyling and deposit

In Germany, waste is sorted according to type of materials. There are bins for separating different types of waste. The following types of waste must be sorted: Paper (blue bin), packaging (with the "Green Dot" symbol; this is collected in yellow bins or yellow bin bags) and other waste (grey or black bin). In addition, there are bottle banks throughout the city to dispose of glass. Dead batteries need to be disposed in special containers in supermarkets.

In Germany, a deposit of between 8 to 25 cents is charged on most beverage bottles and cans. This is called "Pfand". When you buy drinks in returnable containers, you pay the "Pfand" on top of the price for the beverage. You will get this money back if you return the empty bottles or cans to the shop.