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Waste disposal and recycling in Germany

Take a look on these portals to obtain information on how the waste disposal and recycling industry finds new uses for old glass, paper or plastic.

14.08.2012
Martin Franke tries to reduce plastic waste.
Martin Franke tries to reduce plastic waste. © Martin Franke

Federal Association for the German Disposal Industry

Germans produce approximately 40 million tons of waste each year. An entire industry is busy with disposing of this waste in the most suitable way. Its interests are represented by the Federal Association for the German Disposal Industry (DBE), Europe‘s largest mouthpiece before the state, general public and EU institutions. Among other things, the industrial and employers‘ association negotiates wage scales with the trade unions.

www.bde-berlin.org

Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal

Mother Nature is able to transform piles of compost into new raw materials. Following her example, people also recycle paper, glass and plastic to help conserve our natural resources. The Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (bvse) represents the interests of the recycling and waste disposal industry vis-à-vis the legislative, executive and general public.

www.bvse.de

The Green Dot – Dual System

Be it a yogurt container, a juice carton or a beer can – in Germany, packaging doesn’t just get thrown into the trash. The Dual System Germany organizes the entire collection and sorting of materials such as paper, aluminum, plastic and glass and takes care of recycling. Retailers, manufacturers, importers and packagers finance the recycling system with licenses and label their products with the “Green Dot”.

www.gruener-punkt.de

The “Biodiversity in Good Company” Initiative

The diversity of species and habitats in our ecosystem is known internationally as biodiversity. But this great diversity is threatened. German, Brazilian and Japanese companies have now joined together in the “Biodiversity in Good Company” initiative to support the objectives of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

www.business-and-biodiversity.de