The German port city of Kiel has ambitious plans to become the world’s first zero-waste city. It aims to eliminate single-use plastics in public institutions, expand recycling, and get citizens to reduce consumption through initiatives like cloth diaper subsidies.
New projects transform waste into resources. A hairdresser turns collected human hair into oil-absorbing mats, while a startup “rescues” unsold produce to make preserves. Festivals now use deposit-based reusable plates instead of single-use items.
Germans are known for meticulous recycling, but Kiel wants to go further by building reuse into its system. Extending the lifetime of materials through repair cafes and encouraging fewer purchases can slash emissions further than recycling alone, say experts.
Successes so far show individual daily habits, like sorting trash properly, can protect the planet when conducted nationwide. But with plastic production rising, Germany must push beyond recycling to address waste at its source through reduction and reuse.
Kiel’s zero waste efforts set an example of innovative solutions and behavioural change that could guide other cities seeking to curb humanity’s growing refuse piles sustainably.
By The Guardian
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
The Trash Economy 