Zero Waste

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Please preferably use e-mail communication and submit your ideas via the participation form.

Until 16 June 2024, XXL packaging in the city of Chemnitz will draw attention to the topic of waste separation: Chemnitz is taking part in the Germany-wide campaign "Deutschland trennt. You too?" campaign. As part of this, citizens can find out about waste separation issues.

On 12 and 13 June 2024, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Environmental Centre, the waste advisory service of the City of Chemnitz's waste and municipal cleaning company (ASR) and the Environmental Agency will be presenting their services on this topic at Neumarkt. For children, the ASR mascot EMSI will be at Neumarkt on 12 June 2024 at 1 pm and 3 pm. On 13 June 2024, EMSI will also welcome the separating bear, the mascot of the "Waste separation works" campaign.

150 new recyclables collectors have been procured for Chemnitz schools and after-school centres. Pupils from secondary schools in Chemnitz had campaigned for the separate collection of waste at schools. As a result of their commitment, the Chemnitz City Council decided that in future "(...) separate waste disposal with recyclable waste collectors for triple or quadruple separation (with or without organic waste) (...)" should be made possible(BA-034/2023).

The procurement of the recyclables collectors was co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the members of the Saxon state parliament.

Every year, 1.5 billion batteries are sold in Germany, but only just under half of these are returned^.1 In order to increase the return rate, the take-back systems DS Entsorgungs- und Dienstleistungs-GmbH, Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem Servicegesellschaft mbH, ÖcoRecell | IFA-Ingenieur-gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft und Umweltlogistik mbH, REBAT | RLG Systems AG and Stiftung Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem Batterien launched the "Batterie-zurück" initiativeto increase the return rate. It aims to sensitise consumers to the issue of returning batteries.

1 Federal Environment Agency - Batteries and waste batteries

Just in time for "Earth Day", on which attention has been drawn to increasing environmental pollution worldwide every year since 1990 in order to encourage people to rethink their consumer behaviour, the guide to waste prevention for all consumers in Chemnitz and the surrounding area has been updated and completed and is to be made available to the public once again.

It is intended to support us all in critically questioning our purchasing and consumption behaviour and drawing appropriate conclusions in order to reduce the enormous amount of waste generated by us consumers.
The aim is not to threaten and lecture, but to create a sense of purpose in the consumption of goods and services.

The guide can and should be used by a broad public. For example, it is conceivable that it could be used in kindergartens and schools for educational work, offered in authorities, companies and public institutions and also included to an appropriate extent in further education and training courses.

In order to facilitate and expand access to this brochure, but also to conserve resources, the entire content has been made visible here as a PDF file and can be downloaded.

If you require further information, please contact the Environmental Centre (Environmental Education) Chemnitz, the Waste Advisory Service of the ASR of the City of Chemnitz or the Environmental Office of the City of Chemnitz (Zero Waste Officer) by email.

In recent months, the number of enquiries from Chemnitz citizens about the proper handling of used e-cigarettes and disposable e-cigarettes at the waste disposal and city cleaning company (ASR) has increased.

In general, it must be stated that

• all types of e-cigarettes are electronic waste and therefore fall within the scope of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG),
• Plastic waste and used batteries are generated,
• The batteries and liquids they contain cannot be replaced.

It is therefore very important that they must be handed in to the municipal recycling centres after use. Unfortunately, as is very often the case, they end up in household waste. On the contrary, they contaminate the household waste that is collected by the ASR in as pure a form as possible, making sorting more difficult and thus increasing recycling and disposal costs.

The situation with disposable e-cigarettes is even more drastic in terms of wasting resources. As they are extremely short-lived disposable products, they are characterised by an extremely poor environmental footprint. According to a study from 2022, two disposable vapes (steamers) were thrown away every second in the UK alone. The lithium-ion batteries they contain would be enough to produce around 1,200 batteries for electric cars^.1

Source
1 The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

The reusable packaging obligation has been in force throughout Germany since 2023. This is regulated in Section 33 of the Packaging Act. According to this, final distributors, such as cafés, bistros and restaurants, must also offer reusable packaging as an alternative to the previous disposable packaging when selling takeaway food and drinks.

The decisive factor here is that the vendors fill the containers themselves and do not just sell pre-packaged goods. The price of the reusable variant must not be higher than that of the previous disposable packaging. In addition, there must be clearly visible information indicating the reusable packaging. Deposit systems are permitted and sellers only have to take back the reusable packaging that they have issued themselves.

Smaller catering establishments with a maximum size of 80 square metres and no more than five employees are exempt. However, these businesses must fill their food and drinks into reusable crockery brought in by customers on request. In addition, food packaging that is not made of disposable plastic, such as pizza boxes, etc., is exempt from the obligation^.1

To reduce avoidable waste, it is also up to consumers to use reusable packaging. If you have any questions, you can contact the Environment Agency by e-mail or telephone.

Source
1 www.bmuv.de/faq/was-bedeutet-die-neue-mehrwegpflicht-im-to-go-bereich

On 14 December 2022, the first workshop on the City of Chemnitz's Zero Waste project took place in the Stadtschaufenster. The invitation from the environmental department was accepted by 14 interested citizens. The participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, including business, administration, associations and other initiatives.

The planned content, the objective and the current status of the concept were presented. All those present introduced themselves personally and formulated their expectations, ideas and thoughts, as well as their opportunities for collaboration and networking.

There was agreement on the importance of the project for the city, particularly with regard to a long-term view and good public relations work. The importance of an identification opportunity for all participants was emphasised. Initial contacts were made, which are now being filled with life.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has tested the decomposability of so-called "bio-plastic packaging" in a representative composting plant^.1

The products tested included organic waste collection bags and to-go cups, which only disintegrated into pieces after standardised treatment and severely impaired the compost quality. Other products made from "bioplastics", such as coffee capsules, disposable plates, bar packaging, shoes and disposable razors were virtually unchanged after the usual four to five week composting process.

Unfortunately, many environmentally conscious citizens, including in Chemnitz, use precisely these products, which are heavily advertised by the industry, in their own households, including for the collection of their organic waste or in the to-go area. This is confirmed by a survey of waste disposal companies conducted by DUH^.2

This often results in additional costs for the population on a voluntary basis, which, however, in no way leads to the desired effect - relieving the environment and reducing the volume of waste.

Our city's own waste disposal and city cleaning company (ASR) also confirms this and therefore asks: Plastic bags do not belong in the organic waste bin, not even those made from so-called "bioplastics".

Sources:
1 www.duh.de/bioplastik/
2 www.duh.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung/repraesentative-umfrage-belegt-verbraucherinnen-und-verbraucher-gehen-falschen-umweltversprechungen/

A standardised system for reusable cups was launched in Chemnitz city centre on 25 July 2022 with the distribution of an initial batch of around 5,600 cups to interested Chemnitz businesses, restaurateurs and craft businesses. The aim is to reduce the use of disposable cups in Chemnitz and keep the city clean.

The blue reusable cups bear the name Chemnitz Cup and have a capacity of 0.3 litres. One part has been printed with the "Chemnitz City" logo, while another part will probably feature the logo of the Capital of Culture. The cups have therefore also become part of the communication campaign for the European Capital of Culture 2025. The cup, which like the lid is made of recyclable plastic, costs a 1 euro deposit.

This fulfils a decision made by the city council. The aim was to develop a reusable cup system for Chemnitz that includes a deposit and flexible return system. The Mayor for Law, Safety and Environmental Protection, Miko Runkel, the site coordinators of the ChemnitzCity.de initiative, Sylvia Stölzel and Sven Hertwig, and the representative of the company Relocal, Jens Preißler, were involved in the development. Other partners are the Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Chemnitz University of Technology, the Environmental Centre and the Environmental Agency.

The system is open. Interested retailers can still join. The beverage cups were purchased from the Chemnitz-based supplier Relocal. This company has other reusable products on offer that participating businesses can purchase as required, independently of the City of Chemnitz, and distribute in the deposit system. The aim is to establish a network for reusable products in Chemnitz in the medium term.

The introduction of the Chemnitz reusable cup was subsidised by tax funds as part of the Zero Waste project on the basis of the budget approved by the members of the Saxon state parliament.