Are garbage disposals common in Europe? If not, why?

Question

A friend visited my home in America from Germany. He is solidly middle class, but had never seen a garbage disposal. It made me wonder if their sewer systems are not designed to handle the load imposed by ground up garbage. Is there a law against them?

Answer 1

The sewer systems are only meant for water and fecies. We dispose of garbage via bins, bin bags, containers etc, which are picked up from the streetsides once weekly (or so). Garbage trucks dispose of garbage at processing or recycling plants. There used to be big garbage belts, but these have mostly been replaced by more environmental systems across Western Europe. In Germany, as in many other European countries, it's now common that garbage is categorised before it goes to the dump. You might have a green container for green waste, a special depot for batteries, containers for different colours of glass and special facilities for chemical waste. It sounds like a lot of work, but once you're used to it it's alright.

There are laws against abusing the sewer systems or otherwise tampering of water, especially in built-up areas council authorities may give you a hefty fine for flushing dangerous chemicals, leaving toxics in your backyard or flushing petroleum down the sewer. The water that goes through the sewers is transported to cleaning facilities, who filter until it's back at drink-water quality. In some countries, notably Scandinavia and Germany, the quality of tap water rivals the bottled kind. Environmentalists therefore do wonder if a 'grey water' (less clean, more cost-effective) could be used in toilets and drains instead - with the crystal clear water reserved for showers and drinking. They find the 50 or so litres of drinking water that a toilet uses to flush down a turd, an incredible waste. In some spanking new neighbourhoods, grey water has already been implemented.

Answer 2

So I am a Person living in Germany... So there is Special Department working on Garbage Disposal.. Might be ur friend is Not aware of it .. Every city has a Separate garbage Disposal... the Biological waste are being Disposed in these Units and the rest of the waste materials are being Disposed in remote Places or also recycled ... And the state Baden wutemburg in Germany has a Special Contract with Romania to Dispose the waste materials in their country........

Answer 3

germany have the strictest enviromental laws in the world..to the point of not even being allowed to wash your car on your own drive because the detergants will go into the sewer system...im sure they have rubbish disposal ..where would it all go otherwise

Answer 4

Billy not sure if you have every been to Germany - but it like America, only better engineered. Germans are known to do things big and solid. Their sewage system (unlike say the UK's) must outclass America's easily, simply b/c it's Germany (fick jah!)