The right way to dispose of bulk trash, other waste

by Petra Lessoing
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Residents in Kaiserslautern County and the City of Kaiserslautern have specific dates for waste pickup. Usually, residents receive booklets listing pickup dates and tips for trash disposal.

Bulk waste
Each year, Kaiserslautern County and the City of Kaiserslautern provide residents with one or two pickup days for bulk trash.
To schedule a pickup in the City of Kaiserslautern, call 0631-365-3521. Residents living in Kaiserslautern County should call 0631-7105-500 or email sperrmuell@kaiserslautern-kreis.de.

Courtesy photoPlacing trash next to glass containers and containers for old clothes, like here in Eulenbis, is illegal. Remember to dispose of trash properly.
Courtesy photo
Placing trash next to glass containers and containers for old clothes, like here in Eulenbis, is illegal. Remember to dispose of trash properly.

Bulk trash should be placed at the edge of the sidewalk by 7 a.m. the day of pickup.

Bulk trash includes all items residents would not take when moving and items that don’t fit in a regular garbage can. Bulk items include carpets, large toys, plastic baskets, ovens, big suitcases, boxes and furniture such as chairs, tables, couch sets and bed frames. The items must not weigh more than 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and not be wider than 1.70 meters (66 inches).
Two vehicles will pick up the trash. One vehicle only picks up wooden items, and the second vehicle collects non-recyclable items.

Residents are asked to separate their bulk trash and place it accordingly.

Bulk waste is picked up at no charge and in quantities of less than three cubic meters. For larger quantities, a fee will be charged.
Construction and renovation items such as stones, windows and doors, as well as trees, large branches, oil tanks, barrels and car parts are not considered bulk trash.

Electrical appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, lawnmowers, refrigerators and freezers are not accepted in a bulk trash pick up. To get rid of these items, residents must arrange a separate pickup day.

Electrical appliances
Small electrical appliances that are smaller than a shoe carton can be dropped off in the Umweltmobil (environmental vehicle), a special vehicle that stops at certain locations in the villages. In the city, residents should take their small appliances to the recycling center on Daenner Strasse 17, down the street from the gate to Kleber Kaserne.

Large electrical appliances such as washers, dishwashers and stoves will be picked up in the city and the communities. Residents should call the waste management office (see numbers above) to arrange a date.

Recyclable glass
Glass and glass bottles are also items that should be dropped off in special containers set up around Kaiserslautern and neighboring villages. They must be disposed of according to color — white, brown or green. Since the drop-off creates a lot of noise, residents should stick to specific hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 3 to 7 p.m. There is no waste deposit on Sundays and holidays.

Residual waste
The residual waste such as cigarette butts, sanitary items, used wall paper, soiled paper, coal or pressed coal ashes, street sweepings, vacuum cleaner bags, light bulbs and diapers are non-recyclable and non-hazardous. Residents receive gray trash cans for residual waste; the size depends on the number of people living in the home. It must be placed outdoors by 6 a.m. the day of pickup.

Yellow bags
Waste to be placed in yellow bags includes packing material out of plastics such as foils, plastic bags, yoghurt cups, margarine containers, Styrofoam; metals such as food cans, beverage cans, aluminum foils or lids; and compound materials such as juice and milk cartons and materials for vacuum packing.

Paper waste
In the City of Kaiserslautern, residents store paper, cardboard and heavy cardboard such as newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper, books and food packing materials out of paper or cardboard with and without the green dot in see-through plastic bags. In the county, residents place their paper waste in blue recycling bins.

Organic waste
Organic waste from kitchens and gardens such as leaves, lawn clippings, herbage, deceased plants, vegetables, fruit, coffee and tea bags, egg shells, bread, banana and citrus peels, paper towels, and food left-overs except for meat or fish will be collected in the brown bio container. Residents who want to compost their own organic waste on a compost pile in the backyard don’t need such a container, but should ask their landlord to inform the waste disposal office about it.

For more on trash disposal, Kaiserslautern County residents should visit www.kaiserslautern-kreis.de/en/administration/
garbage-guide.html, or call the waste disposal office at 0631-7105-408 or 0631-7105-505.

To download trash disposal information, visit www.kaiserslautern-kreis.de/fileadmin/media/Dateien/Abfallwirtschaft/Muelltipps/Garbage_Guide_Druckversion_eng.pdf.

Residents of the City of Kaiserslautern can download information at www.ask-kl.de/pic/garbage_guide_2013_1.pdf, or call 0631365-3521.

The German-American Community Office has both the garbage guide for the city and the county of Kaiserslautern available for pickup. GACO is located on Lauterstrasse 2 in Kaiserslautern. Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays. More information on waste disposal is also available at the GACO website at www.gaco-kl.de (click on useful info, then on waste). Those living in areas outside Kaiserslautern County can call GACO at 063136330-10 to get the appropriate points of contact.

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