I have been studying in Germany for the past nine months. During this time, I picked up not only on the language, but also on many cultural practices that comprise the “typisch Deutsch” way of life. Bread consumption, desk-knocking at the end of a lecture, and longing for quiet on a Sunday are traits that subtly became interwoven into my daily routine. Things I admired (and perhaps raised eyebrows at) from a distance suddenly became part of me. However, these were only the surface-level, stereotypical traits. The sustainable practices of a German citizen, from the glass waste separation system to taking advantage of the affordable transport network, are traits that I hope to carry long-term.
In particular, Germany’s “Pfand” system comes to mind. The concept is simple – each time you buy a metal, plastic, or glass drink container, you pay a surplus fee of around 25 cents. This money is claimed back once you return the empty container to a return point, often found in supermarkets. This seemingly unassuming system is now of extreme importance to daily life here. I see some people bringing trollies full of empties to return points before commencing their weekly shop, and others picking up empty bottles from the streets looking to make extra cash. The judgement in the air after throwing an empty plastic bottle in a general waste bin is almost palpable. The Pfand is simply not to be ignored.
For a while, I wondered what incentivises citizens to maintain a system like this. Are people in Germany just naturally more environmentally conscious than in the UK?
I realised it is simply a matter of habit. The scheme was made mandatory in 2003, and since then, it became second-nature to the German population. This is what being sustainable is really about – making small changes to your daily routine that eventually go unnoticed because they are so ingrained. For instance, I turned vegetarian a few years ago. This was not an overnight transformation. Instead, I gradually cut out meat until one day it was gone. I made a habit of eating more plant-based food until eventually it just became part of who I am.
Humans are naturally inclined to adapting to change. As environmentalists, our efforts are being overpowered by a system that is simply incompatible with sustainability. This makes many feel overwhelmed and drained. After all, what good is recycling our plastic bottles when the responsibility should be placed on the corporations who produce so much plastic in the first place? This is reasonable to ask, and to this I would like to offer my perspective. Regardless of whether or not we are successful in reversing the damages done to the planet, I would like to reach the end of my life knowing that I did all I could do to reduce my personal impact. My sustainable daily habits are far from revolutionary, but they contribute to countering the damage done by higher powers, and such efforts should always be valued.
