Flood of plastic in organic waste bins: Minden in the fight against waste pollution!

Flood of plastic in organic waste bins: Minden in the fight against waste pollution!

In the last few weeks, inspections by the Minden-Lübbecke district waste recycling company have mercilessly revealed that the wrong collection of waste ends up in our organic waste bins. A look at the numbers clearly shows: During a comprehensive inspection of around 22,100 organic tonnes, a total of 665 tonnes were left unemptied and incorrectly filled. It turns out that plastic is the main problem. It is repeatedly noticed that many organic waste bins are filled with plastic bags and other unwanted contaminants that simply have no place there.

So how can we tackle the problem? The aim of the campaign is to provide information in order to improve the recycling of organic waste. In cities like Minden, where regular inspections are carried out, the positive effects are evident: there were significantly fewer abandoned bins compared to municipalities that only carry out sporadic inspections.

Nationwide waste separation initiative

The latest developments extend beyond the Minden area, as the waste management industry has committed itself to a nationwide testing program. Cities such as Lübeck, Göttingen, Magdeburg, Kaiserslautern and Ulm will check their organic waste bins for the presence of plastic and contaminants over four weeks. Garbage workers and sensors are used to ensure high quality organic waste in the interests of environmental protection. If there is excessive plastic infestation, the bin is simply left empty - a clear message!

But that's not all: If the contaminants are not removed, the bin will be treated as residual waste, which can result in additional costs of up to 40 euros for those affected. These measures are intended to help raise awareness of the issue and anchor proper waste separation in the minds of consumers.

Clarification must move forward

What is particularly worrying is the fact that many consumers are unaware of or disregard the regulations. According to the new government guidelines, organic waste may contain a maximum of 1% plastic and 3% foreign substances. Contaminants such as glass, tin cans, diapers or painted wood are absolutely not permitted. Compostable bioplastic bags also have no place in organic waste. A common misconception is to collect organic kitchen scraps in plastic bags and then throw them into the organic waste bin.

Clarification is needed here! It would be best to dispose of everyday organic waste directly without packaging or alternatively to use newspaper or paper bags. In larger residential complexes this could be a challenge as it is often unclear where the contaminants come from.

In summary, it can be said that just a good hand at separating waste can support all of our environmental forests. Let's work together to fill the organic waste correctly and thus do both recycling and nature a favor!

For further information we recommend reading the reports from Radio Westfalica and daily news to follow closer.