Germany’s Pfandsystem, a Trash Deposit System for Waste Management

Like anywhere in the world, environmental issues are becoming increasingly relevant in Europe. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, countries worldwide are upping their efforts and commitments in achieving these targets, including on improving waste management. In Germany, there is a waste management system that allows people to trade trash for deposit: the pfandsystem.

Waste Management in Germany

Germany has become one of the most notable countries regarding their waste management systems. This commitment is the result of the long journey they must endure after the cholera epidemic in the 19th century. Since then, sanitation and waste management became a serious issue for the German government.

In 2022, Germany’s urban waste production reached 606 kilogram per capita in 2022, consisting of organic waste, papers, cartons, glass, plastic, and so on. But the proof of the country’s commitment is apparent from the implementation of the law called Waste Management Act (Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz – KrWg). According to Umweltbundesamt, Germany’s Environmental Body, there are five levels of waste management processing under the Act: prevention, recycle preparation, recycling, recovery (particularly for energy), and disposal.

As a foreign student in Germany, at first, I was quite intimidated by how serious this country is about waste management, especially because I rarely saw anything similar in my home country, Indonesia. In Indonesia, the primary focus still falls on disposing waste to a designated place, creating mounting landfills across the country.

While Germany, like several other developed countries, has obligated waste sorting to prepare for recycling. Paper and cardboard waste can be recycled into new paper products. Organic waste can turn into compost. The rest of it gets incinerated in a recovery process that produces heat and electrical energy.

How Pfandsystem Works

What’s interesting to me is how Germany and other European nations manage their waste, especially plastic bottles, cans, and glasses. Germany has a waste recycling system called the Pfandsystem, roughly translated to return and deposit system.

When we buy a packaged drink, the price will have an additional 0.35 euro for deposit. After drinking, we can take the empty packaging to the recycling machine in supermarkets. The machine will then give us a receipt to be cashed in at the cashier or used in the next transaction.

While living in Germany, I’ve used this system several times. Usually I would collect the empty packagings first until I’ve collected quite a lot. Then, I would bring them all at once to the supermarket to trade my waste deposit. Once, I traded my garbage for 24 euro, which became money I used to buy my daily needs. I’ve also even seen people raid public trash cans to find empty bottles and drink packaging.

Possible Adoption in Indonesia

With pfandsystem, consumers only purchase the content of the drinks while the packaging is deemed as a deposit. This also means that consumers have a responsibility in the overall cycle of sustainable consumption and circular economy.

Pfandsystem has created real impacts in improving Germany’s waste management. Something similar should and could be adopted in Indonesia with adjustments in the implementation, especially regarding infrastructure readiness, regulation, and education. Ultimately, the active participation of all stakeholders—governments, businesses, and civil society—is key to creating effective and integrated waste management systems.

Translator: Nazalea Kusuma

Editor: Abul Muamar & Nazalea Kusuma

The original version of this article is published in Indonesian at Green Network Asia – Indonesia.

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Niken Pusparani Permata Progresia

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Niken is an undergraduate student studying Energy Engineering in the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Germany. She has a strong interest in environmental issues and sustainability through a historical perspective.

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