Germany is known for its strong environmental awareness, and one of the best examples of that is waste separation. Here, sorting your trash can be surprisingly complicated — you might often find yourself wondering, “Wait, which bin does this go in!?” 😅

In a typical household, waste is separated like this 👇

🟡 Gelber Sack (Yellow Bag): Plastic and metal packaging
🔵 Blaue Tonne (Blue Bin): Paper and cardboard
🟤 Braune Tonne (Brown Bin): Organic waste such as food scraps
⚫ Restmüll (Black Bin): Non-recyclable waste

On top of that, glass must be sorted by color — white, green, and brown — and thrown into separate collection containers. If you put the wrong item in the wrong bin, the garbage might not even be collected!

In Germany, waste sorting isn’t just about good manners — it’s an obligation.
It’s one of the first things that confuses many newcomers after moving here.