What I discovered on a visit to Germany; It isn’t the system we use in recycling that matters so much as teaching consumers how essential it is

May 11

I recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Germany, the purpose of which was to attempt to determine why that country’s recycling rates are so high when ours are so low, especially when it comes to plastic. While the U.S. has lower recycling rates than Germany for tin, paper, glass and aluminum, for the sake of this particular trip, I chose to focus on plastic because it is the item for which recycling figures show the greatest contrast between our two nations

The Germans estimate that 96% of the plastic at their “disposal” is recycled, while in the U.S., we only recycle an estimated 4.6% of our throwaway plastic. I made it my mission to find out just what factors could be responsible for such a huge difference in the reclamation of resources.

Trash collection bins in Munich

On my visits to Berlin and Dusseldorf, I was fortunate enough to be accompanied by a driver and a translator/investigator who assisted me in this endeavor. When we arrived at the first municipal recycling facility on our list, BSR, I felt like one of these network correspondents who goes out with a camera crew to do an expose on a scandal. Perhaps I should have thought more about the image I presented, driving up to a recycling center in sandals and a tee-shirt bearing the message “use carbon wisely,” escorted by two guys in black suits and ties. Suffice it to say that the people in charge would neither answer our questions nor let us into the facility.

We didn't go away, however. I had a diagram and was determined to find out what made the Germans so efficient at recycling, starting with the manufacturing of the plastic packaging and following it through to its assembly at the brand manufacturer, then on to the retailer and the consumer. I wanted to know about the cash flow involved and, ultimately, what became of the bails of plastic during the actual recycling process.

We also wanted to learn more about how the country’s different systems worked. I was particularly intrigued by one called the Green Dot system, in which the items to be recycled went into yellow containers or yellow bags provided by either the municipality or the contracted hauler. To further our understanding of the system, we mapped out several different streams of recycled plastic from retailer-specific brands that could only be redeemed in the stores where those brands were sold -- all done in conjunction with the municipality, BSR and a private industry, ALBA, which, in contrast to our reception at BSR, was very cordial and gracious to us. (And while I’m at it, I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank Torsten for his hospitality.)

I don't want to bore you with all the details, so I’ll attempt to sum up the results of our investigation. What I’ve concluded is that although the German recycling systems are better than the ones used here in the U.S., what makes the major difference is the attitude and level of education in Germany regarding recycling.

For one thing, most of the consumers who enter German supermarkets bring along plastic and glass bottles to redeem. Moreover, as is the case in most of Europe, the entire produce sections of these markets merchandise their wares in recyclable plastic containers directly from the field rather than the cardboard we use in the states. There’s also an emphasis on recycling everywhere you go. A typical German retail operation I visited had two people on its staff whose job was just to receive items to be recycled -- some for redemption but many just from customers who wanted to do the right thing. From beer cans to yogurt containers, the need to recycle has been imbued in the national psyche.

While out for a walk on my last evening in Germany, I could here the clang of bottles dropping at a community glass drop with three bins that enable people to sort the glass by color. Now this is done not for any monetary incentive, but rather for the sake of the environment. The big eye-opener for me was that this national commitment to the renewal of resources isn't just about a system. Sure, we could improve our system in the U.S. and even make it incredibly better. But that wouldn’t really solve the problem.

Bringing our recycling rates up to the levels of a county such as Germany really depends on our ability to educate and motivate the individual consumer. Simply put, American society needs to be firmly impressed with the idea that our resources are not infinite and that we really do not need to be burning the equivalent of millions of barrels of oil a year simply to manufacture plastic. Plastic, in fact, is not really the problem, but rather the careless and unthinking way we dispose of it. What I believe we need here in the U.S. is a major education campaign stressing the vital importance of recycling, with a particular focus on plastic.

I guess I better get to DOing Something about that. And I will. Stay tuned.

A ‘nail of a tale’ about the healing powers of Mother Nature

May 7

I’m pleased to report that my "rain forest toe" has healed – rather unexpectedly --on a recent flight from Miami to L.A.

The reason I call it "rain forest toe" is that it was part of the ‘collateral damage’ resulting from our wild and crazy rain forest hike that I and a group of "green" corporate leaders (in more than one sense of the word) took in Costa Rica, which I wrote about a couple months ago. The entire reason for this note is to relate how my rain forest toe served to illustrate the miraculous healing power of Mother Nature.

This black and blue toenail was ugly, all right, which was especially problematic because I always where flip flops. It had, in fact, been plaguing me to the point that I was covering it with a Band-Aid because it looked so bad. Recently, however, I stopped covering it because it was just too much trouble, and that’s when I finally lost it. The toenail, that is. On the flight from Miami, while crossing my feet with the flip flops on I caught the nail and tore it off. I must admit I didn't want to look, and braced myself for the pain. But when I did gather enough courage to take a peek, I was shocked to see that a new nail had formed under the damaged one. Like the rain forest reforestation project that I had been so fortunate to visit, it exemplified the miraculous results that Mother Nature can achieve when we allow her to take charge of the situation.

A lesson in the basics of engaging an audience

May 1

You’re never to old to learn, goes an old adage – or experienced at what you do, as I recently discovered in speaking to a group of University of Miami students who belonged to an organization called Sustainable U.

When I first began addressing these students, I noticed they seemed a bit subdued and quiet. I thought perhaps I was a bit awkward in my delivery -- but at the point where I was enumerating the steps described in our "Do Something" book, I sensed that I had lost all of them. I was naturally a little uncomfortable – until we started talking about actual issues

I first asked them if they knew what a GMO was, and none of the students did – but a professor from a Sustainability Class was present, and he knew the answer. This was my cue to focus the discussion on things that were really going on, and that I thought might resonate with this group. I mentioned the rain forest and how we are cutting it down at a unprecedented rate, and the way pesticides were having tainting our soil, water and agricultural output. And sure enough, I could feel them beginning to get outraged, and the energy level in the room starting to rise. I felt like we had finally begun to engage, that they were listening intently, their thought processes were being stimulated, and that they were actually building up the motivation to do something.

But for all that, I probably ended up learning more than they did. What I learned is that I cannot start these talks as mere "lectures." I need to get the audience fired up from the get-go – to ‘push their buttons’, so to speak --by launching right into the kinds of things that are really going on in the world. Then we can talk about how to best go about doing something about it.