Not all rubbish is the same

Frankfurt’s Climate Councilor Zapf-Rodríguez and FES Managing Director Scheffler see significant potential for improvement in waste separation

On the occasion of Waste Separation Day, Tina Zapf-Rodríguez, Councilor for Climate, Environment and Women of the City of Frankfurt am Main, and Benjamin Scheffler, Managing Director of FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH, appeal to citizens to separate their waste consistently.

Organic waste belongs in the bio-waste bin, packaging materials in the yellow bin, paper and cardboard in the paper recycling bin. Sounds simple, but often it is not. Because even today, items frequently end up in the residual waste bin that could have been returned to the recycling loop if disposed of correctly.

“Waste separation is like a puzzle – only if everything ends up in the right place does it make sense. If recyclable packaging made of plastic or aluminum ends up thoughtlessly in the residual waste bin, it is incinerated and cannot be recycled. This is a missed opportunity to conserve valuable resources! Waste separation is therefore more important than ever given increasingly scarce raw materials,” says Councilor Zapf-Rodríguez.

FES Managing Director Scheffler adds: “What we do or do not do now has immediate consequences. Careful handling of resources is one thing, the other is the dangers that arise from incorrect waste separation. For example, if lithium-ion batteries are disposed of in household waste, fires can occur in waste collection vehicles or facilities. Every citizen can do something to prevent this. Waste separation is not a task for individuals, but for all of us.”

Today’s Waste Separation Day goes back to March 7, 1884, when modern waste separation was introduced in Paris by French official Eugène René Poubelle. He issued a regulation requiring homeowners to provide three waste bins in front of their houses.

This measure was intended to help improve the appearance of Paris and prevent the spread of disease. 

“Recycling our waste is active resource conservation, to which everyone can contribute,” Zapf-Rodríguez continues. “For the sake of sustainability and in the interest of future generations, it is important to consciously decide at every trip to the bin: What goes where?”

Further information on waste separation is provided by FES’s Waste ABC:

Externer Link zu https://www.fes-frankfurt.de/informatives-frankfurtplus/abfall-abc