Carnival party without waste
It’s so easy to recycle costumes, decorations and co.
A lot of rubbish is generated during the carnival.
© r.classen/Shutterstock.com
Carnival ends on Ash Wednesday. A pile of rubbish remains. How to properly dispose of costumes, cardboard noses and more.
The fifth season is in full swing and is leaving its mark on the streets in the form of mountains of rubbish. In the pre-Corona year 2019, the waste management companies in the carnival strongholds of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz collected around 600 tons of waste between Weiberfastnacht and Ash Wednesday. were for according to the association of municipal companies 650 employees in action. If you want to relieve the disposal teams and do something good for the environment, you can recycle confetti, camels and costumes as follows.
Applies to carnival waste according to the initiative “waste separation works” a simple basic rule: packaging made of plastic, aluminum or tinplate and composite materials go in the yellow bin or yellow bag. Paper belongs in the waste paper bin and glass bottles sorted by color in the waste glass container without a deposit.
Carnival should become more sustainable
As a result, bags of liquorice snails or candy wrappers do not end up on the floor, but in the yellow bin or in the yellow sack. The same applies to foils from bouquets of flowers, called “Karnevalsstrüßjer” in Cologne. In the future, these should do without plastic. “We are starting at various points to make the Shrove Monday train more sustainable and environmentally friendly step by step,” a press release quoted Cologne train manager Holger Kirsch as saying. This also includes “waste avoidance, for example through environmentally friendly packaged Strüßjer.”
After eating and drinking: where to put the rubbish?
Cardboard is a sustainable alternative to plastic. Clean paper plates or cups as well as paper bags and serviettes go with the waste paper. Confetti and paper streamers also belong there. Plasticized or heavily soiled paper, on the other hand, has to be disposed of with the residual waste.
In addition to donuts and sweets, carnival participants consume liters of often alcoholic beverages. They then throw the empty glass bottles into the waste glass container, sorted according to the colors white, green and brown. Lids and bottle caps can be placed in the yellow bin or yellow sack.
Properly dispose of carnival costumes
Just like food and drink, disguise is a must at carnival. Ideally, it is made from leftover fabric and will last for several seasons. If you are not gifted with handicraft talent, you can rent a costume. If it breaks and can no longer be repaired, it belongs in the residual waste. Cardboard noses, party hats or eye patches are disposed of with the waste paper without rubber bands or metal parts.