Talking Trash

In which I become 'that' neighbor

The over-filled Wertstoffe bins in our trash room last month. The signs on the wall indicate the bins are for the residential tenants only.

I took the photo, above, about three weeks ago after a visit to my apartment building’s Müllraum (literally - trash room, where the recycling and garbage bins stay when they aren’t by the street for collection).

It’s hard to tell from this view, but several of the plastic bags contain items that are not allowed in the Wertstoffe bins mixed in with things that are. Wertstoffe is the Berlin sanitation service’s term for, basically, anything that can be recycled but isn’t paper, glass, or food waste.

My plan at the time was to post it on my building’s WhatsApp group with a sanctimonious plea to please mind the sorting regulations lest the building get a fine.

I thought better of it after I got back to my apartment, remembering that we share access to the Müllraum with both the residents of the adjacent apartment building and the commercial tenants on it…