Willkommen im Pfand

Germany has the stigma of being a green, environmentally friendly country, and rightfully so. One of the first examples we saw of this, upon arrival, was the "Pfand". Varying bottles, from plastic to glass, bought from a grocery store can be returned for anywhere from 8-50 cents; 25 cents is the usual. This idea was put into place to increase recycling and reduce trash. Germans take it very seriously. When going to retrieve your Pfand, it is not uncommon to see people with bags and bags of plastic bottles at the machine. It is also common to see the homeless going through trash cans to see if someone threw away a bottle or to have them come up to people in large plazas at night to take your empty beer bottles for you. At first the latter may seem a little odd and uncomfortable, especially coming from the US, but, when you look at it in a larger context, it keeps those areas clean of bottles from those having a night out on the town and it helps the environment. Another example of the Pfand system is in the beer gardens. At many, you can return your glass (or Maß) and receive a 1-2 euro Pfand.

All it took was a few cents as an incentive and the idea has become very successful. Many people on our trip save up their bottles for a week or two, and cash in the Pfand to help pay for the laundry-mat or to buy gelato (who can blame them).