Sorting residual waste: what belongs in the black bin?

Residual waste is for rubbish that has no separate collection and cannot be recovered. Typical examples include:

• Hygiene products: nappies, tissues, cotton buds, razors, sanitary products and toothbrushes.
• Dirty household waste: vacuum cleaner bags and their contents, cold ash, cigarette ends, cat litter and pet waste.
• Broken items: porcelain, drinking glasses, mirrors and ceramics. Glass packaging is different and belongs in glass recycling containers.
• Small worn-out items: old shoes, broken toys, CDs and DVDs, pens, coated photographs and wallpaper scraps.
• Heavily soiled packaging: packaging with firmly stuck or dried-on contents that cannot be scraped out.

Before using the black bin, check whether the item has a separate collection: the Gelber Sack, paper bin, Biotonne, glass containers or recycling centre. Every recyclable item put in the wrong bin increases the amount and cost of residual waste.

Materials with a separate collection generally do not belong in residual waste, and many are explicitly prohibited. Collection crews may leave bins with obvious sorting mistakes unemptied.

• Packaging: empty plastic, metal and composite packaging belongs in the Gelber Sack or Gelbe Tonne.
• Paper and cardboard: put clean, dry material in the paper bin. Grease-soiled items such as pizza boxes go in residual waste instead.
• Organic waste: kitchen and garden waste belongs in the Biotonne rather than adding to the load at a residual-waste incinerator.
• Electrical appliances: everything from a hairdryer to a television is electrical waste. Take it to a recycling centre or return it to a retailer that provides take-back.
• Hazardous materials: paints, varnishes, chemicals, batteries and energy-saving lamps belong at a mobile hazardous-waste collection or a suitable recycling centre, never in the bin.
• Bulky waste and rubble: arrange bulky waste collection for furniture and use a rubble skip for tiles and plaster.

Waste charges in Germany usually combine a basic charge with a service charge. The service element commonly depends on residual waste: bin capacity, collection frequency or the amount actually collected. Households producing less residual waste can often switch to a smaller bin or less frequent collections, saving money each year.

Residual waste is incinerated, and incineration is the most expensive disposal method. Organic waste, paper and packaging collections cost less, or their household cost is already included in the price of products, as with the Gelber Sack and the dual recycling system. Sorting consistently is therefore a straightforward way to reduce household waste costs.

A few items repeatedly end up in the wrong collection, usually because people are unsure:

• Till receipts: thermal-paper receipts belong in residual waste, rather than the paper bin.
• Drinking glasses and porcelain: these are not glass packaging. Glass containers accept packaging glass; broken drinking glasses and porcelain belong in residual waste.
• Yoghurt pots with leftovers: scrape them empty before placing them in the Gelber Sack. Firmly dried-on contents make them residual waste.
• Cat litter: this belongs in residual waste, including products sold as organic litter. Composting facilities cannot process it.
• Old clothing: use a clothing collection container or a secondhand shop. Only textiles that really cannot be reused belong in residual waste.

If you are unsure, check your city's Abfall-ABC waste guide. Many waste services provide a website search that shows the correct disposal route for each item.

Consistent sorting quickly shows how little unrecyclable waste remains. A small sorting station in the kitchen helps: one container for packaging, one for paper, one for organic waste and a smaller one for the rest. That makes it easier to use the right collection. Return deposit bottles and cans to shops, and choose reusable products to reduce packaging at the source.

Repairing and passing things on also reduces what goes in the bin. Repair Cafés can help with broken appliances, while Kleinanzeigen and charity furniture shops help reusable items find another home. To help you remember your residual waste collection day, BinMinder sends a free reminder the evening before.