Do you have plans of living in German cities like Berlin or Hamburg? Or in beautiful towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber? Whether you are visiting, planning to study, or work there for a while, you can rest assured that you can maintain a lifestyle of minimalism! In this post I will dive into the resources Germany offers you to help you keep a reasonable amount of items during your stay; only the things you need. Here are the many ways to get rid of your things!
This post is inspired by a conversation that I had with my German friend. She helped to guide my research. I hope you find this post helpful.
1. SELLING 2. DONATING 3. RECYCLING
Photo by KAROLINA GRABOWSKA
1. Selling
If you are in Germany and are open to online selling methods beyond Facebook groups and marketplace, here are some options I found.
eBay Kleinanzeigen is like the German version of eBay. There you can post and sell items and use PayPal for transactions.
Photo by KAROLINA GRABOWSKA
2. Donating
Facebook Groups. Free Your Stuff Berlin- Be sure to read the group rules. Click here.
CLOTHING. Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (The Red Cross). The Red Cross has hundreds of second-hand shops located all over Denmark. They also have clothing containers for you to deposit donations. There you can donate your clothing, linens, shoes, textiles, purses, bags, and belts. They must be cleaned and not wet, but they can be torn or have some damage. To locate their shop fronts and clothing containers, click here.
Oxfam deutschland is an international charity with second-hand shops in various locations throughout the region. Inside, one can make clothing and linen donations. Their clothing donation containers are the color green, and you can find their store and container locations here. Also note that they only accept clothing for the given season and donations must contain clean clothing, without holes or tears, and placed in bags before deposited in the bins. Tie together shoes, socks, gloves, and any other paired items. If you have a large donation you must call one hour in advance before your arrival. Read more about what donation they do and don’t accept here.
Sozialkaufhäuser
FairWertung is a collection of non-profit organizations with shops and containers you can donate items. You can find there shops here.
BOOKS. Find Oxfam’s book donation shops here. Change filter to Bookshops Only.
TOYS. Donate toys through DEKRAS- Toys Company. Find there locations by region here. FURNITURE & HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. Donate furniture items with STILBRUCH, (Hamburg only).
ALL ITEMS. Wohindamit is a great resource for donating a variety of items. I recommend finding your region to find out the resources available and locations.
Photo by KAROLINA GRABOWSKA
3. Recycling
GREEN & BLUE. Pappe/Papie – Paper & Cardboard. This is straightforward. Deposit items like cardboard boxes, paper bags, magazines and books, toilet-paper-rolls and loose-leaf paper. Note: Don’t store paper waste with stains or residue here. For example, a used napkin or leftover pizza box. Such items qualify as residue waste (BLACK or GRAY recycle bins).
YELLOW. Wertstoffe/ Gelbesack / Gelbetonne. Plastic & Metal. Don’t put glass or paper items into this bin. You also deposit all your plastic food containers, plastic packaging, and any other plastics like those box-shaped containers that hold milk or soup. You can also put aluminum foil, tins, and metal lids from the glass jars and bottles here.
BROWN. Biomülltonnen – Biodegradable. This bin takes compostable items such as kitchen waste and even garden waste. So this would include food, napkins, dirt, plants, coffee grounds, dirt, leaves, etc. These bins are more common in some regions than others. Note: Store waste in a paper bag or nothing. Don’t use a plastic bag.
BLACK & GRAY. Restmüll. Household waste, residue waste, non-recyclable waste. Examples include hygiene waste, broken glass, dippers, toothbrushes, and cat litter. Also drinking glasses, window glass and teapots or glass cups can go here.
BOTTLE RECYCLING. There two types; one with a “Pfand” and one without.
Bottles with a “Pfand symbol” can be taken to a Leergutannahmestelle. These are are “empty-bottle-drop-off” points that can be found at the supermarket. When returned, you can receive a change for each bottle you deposit.
GLASS JARS/BOTTLES (WITHOUT DEPOSIT “Pfand”). This can include vinegar bottles, oil bottles, empty jam/marmalade jars, sauce jars, bottles of wine, and other certain glass bottles. These must be disposed of specifically in bins dedicated to glass waste and separated by color. These bins appear as large rounded bins.
Weißglas → white glass Braunglas → brown glass Grünglas → green glass
BATTERIES. You can find stations for battery recycling at supermarkets.
ADDTIONAL RESOURCES
Recyclinghof Has recycling centers all throughout the region. To find one of their facilities in your region click here
Howtogermany provides more in-deph info about the recycling system if you wanna have a read.
Here is a PDF that illustrates the sorting system if you prefer to see visuals. (Berlin). Also here .
Handbookgermany also has a nice guide to recycling with a video link for more visual explanation.
Photo by Kai Pilger
3. Final thoughts
Germany has loads of options for getting rid of your unwanted items! Just make sure you follow the local rules and customs. For example, recycling glass bottles should never be done before 8 AM and after 8 PM so as not to disturb others. It is forbidden! It is also forbidden to depose of large, electronic, or hazardous waste on the street. Be mindful of this to avoid receiving a fine.
It’s fine to collect a few items that truly bring you joy, but I also hope you enjoy your stay and manage to collect memorable moments as well. Moments that enrich you on your adventure. I wish you the best on your minimalism journey no matter where you are in the world! Stay tuned for more in this series. Until then, keep on adventuring!
Featured Photo by Jiatong Tian
