Landfills full of garbage release bad chemicals, greenhouse gases and other kinds of pollution into the environment, and sometimes it can end up back in the food we eat. When we recycle, we reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills, and we conserve resources by reusing materials that already exist. When we make products from new or raw materials, it contributes to deforestation, which leads to habitat destruction and global warming.
Since protecting the environment is so important, Germany has passed many waste management laws that make both companies and consumers more responsible for the packaging they buy. In most communities, waste must be separated, and there is a different bin for each type of waste, including paper, plastic, clear glass, colored glass and organic waste. All of this, except for leftover household waste, can be recycled! Germany also has a great system called the Pfandsystem. At most German supermarkets, you can find a sort of reverse vending machine that will collect your empty, nonreusable plastic bottles and give you between 15-25 cents per bottle in return. This system works so well, that 97-99% of all nonreusable bottles in Germany end up being returned!
