WIESBADEN, Germany - In Germany, virtually everything that can be recycled, is. Properly sorting waste saves energy, reduces air pollution, decreases greenhouse gas emissions and saves money.
Personnel new to the area will need to learn how to properly sort their household garbage for recycling. That task is made easier with the use of color-coded garbage bins-yellow for plastic and metal packaging, blue for paper and cardboard, brown or green for biodegradable waste (not available in all areas) and black for non-recyclable items.
Items that do not fit in one of these categories, i.e., hazardous waste, batteries, bulk waste, electronics, clothing and shoes can be taken to the Recycling Center on Clay Kaserne for on-post residents or to public ELW recycling centers in the city for those living off post. Recycling containers for glass, separated by color, can be found in housing areas and at the Recycling Center on Clay Kaserne.
Besides benefitting the environment, recycling saves money, said Heinz Peter Schneider, solid waste manager with the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Directorate of Public Works.
"If we don't recycle, we have to pay much more," he said, explaining that the garrison receives refunds for certain types of recyclable material and when not properly separated, that money is lost.
If trash is found improperly separated, bins will not be picked up, Schneider said. This applies both on and off post.
For on-post trash pick-up schedules and a list of Wiesbaden recycling centers, visit home.army.mil/wiesbaden and search "Trash and Recycling."
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