Urgent advice needed re German guests and recycling

[Bunny]

Help please. I've currently got German guests in who speak no English. They are here for another 4 weeks and today I've been in to do a weekly mini clean/bed change. Tomorrow is bin collection day. They have put out the general waste from the kitchen bin but not a huge collection of beer bottles stacked in the kitchen. As I don't want to be left with such a huge amount to dispose of when they finally leave, I have removed them to the outside recycling bin. As it is a bit odd that they have removed everything except this glass, I'm now wondering if in Germany, glass bottles have a monetary deposit value upon return of the bottles? I know they are going home for a weekend break this coming weekend so they could be planning to take them home with them. They are due back about 6.00pm. If I shouldn't have removed them, I will have to go and put them all back again! I hope not; it was quite back breaking.

[joddle]

When in Germany we used to take bottles back in crates to the shop. Germany is pretty eco friendly over things like that. They may assume that they have to do the same in the UK.

A note saying something like "Es gibt kein Geld für die zurückgegebenen Flaschen in Großbritannien. Bitte könnten alle leeren Flaschen in der Verwertung von Abfällen." should suffice but maybe someone with better German than me could advise better wording.

[FelicityA]

Do you mix all the recyclables in your area, Bunny? I know in Austria you have to separate everything. In Ireland, you mix it all except the glass. Perhaps in their area glass must not go in with the other things and they don't know where to put it?

Edit to see that Joddie posted while I was writing and that is a good solution!

[Bunny]

A note saying something like "Es gibt kein Geld für die zurückgegebenen Flaschen in Großbritannien. Bitte könnten alle leeren Flaschen in der Verwertung von Abfällen." should suffice but maybe someone with better German than me could advise better wording.

Thanks joddle, but what does your note say in English please?

[tavi]

are the bottles bought in the UK or did they bring them with them (by car?)

In Portugal we have a choice of returnable glass beer bottles (with a monetary value) - or non-returnable which go (obviously) into the glass recycling.

[Bunny]

Do you mix all the recyclables in your area, Bunny? Perhaps in their area glass must not go in with the other things and they don't know where to put it?

I have separate bins inside and out for glass, plastics and cardboard. Maybe if they can't speak English they do not know which bin to put it in, but you would think that they would just leave them beside the outside bins for me to deal with if they were not sure.

[Bunny]

are the bottles bought in the UK or did they bring them with them (by car?)

In Portugal we have a choice of returnable glass beer bottles (with a monetary value) - or non-returnable which go (obviously) into the glass recycling.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they brought it over from Germany. It is Heineken. A lot of them were in a Heineken plastic crate. Eeek, I fear I may have to return them!

[Bunny]

OOps, my mistake; I've just been to double check and they are not Heineken, but Krombacher Pils!

[FelicityA]

In the absence of Joddie who I suppose might not be at the computer again today....it says please can they leave the empty bottles in the recycling place as we don't get money back on bottles in the UK.

[Bunny]

Thanks for the translation. But what if they particularly want to take them home to get their money back, they will be cross with me? I think I need to add to the note something like 'I apologise if you have deliberately retained them in order to take them back to Germany. Please feel free to take them back again and if you leave them in the cottage next week I will know not to remove them again'.

I could try google translate but I find it very unreliable.

[rammy100]

The crate and bottles will certainly have a deposit (or pfand) on them. Typically the crate is about €3 and the bottles 25c each.

Your guests will have brought them as beer is much cheaper in Germany than the UK. We recycle everything here and, as a rule, Germans are pretty good house guests so I expect they plan to take them home if they have left them inside but I'm only speculating.

Have you tried to communicate using Google translate and speak into it? You speak in English and it reads it out in German. It's not perfect but provided you speak clearly and use simple sentences it's good enough to get a message across.

I have used it with a Russian who I rent an apartment from and it works, and also makes us laugh when it gets it drastically wrong.

[Bunny]

The crate and bottles will certainly have a deposit (or pfand) on them. Typically the crate is about €3 and the bottles 25c each.

Eeek, I left them a note by typing it into google translate but when I converted the German back into English it wasn't quite right, so I wasn't that confident in it being correct enough. Now that I've read your post, I've just snook them all back in and removed the note. What a carry on! I'll know better in future. Thanks for all the replies and for saving my bacon! If they are all still there when they go back to German this weekend I will cry but see the funny side too.

[e-richard]

.... or non-returnable which go (obviously) into the glass recycling.

tavi, you should know that nothing in Portugal is obvious

[Bunny]

Well how bizarre - as I said before - they had put out the general waste - or so I assumed as the bins in the cottage were all empty. I've just gone to sort out the outside bins ready for collection and they are all empty - no recycling - no food waste, no tins etc, no nothing! Well, there is plenty of food in the cottage and they can't have been living off beer, so where in the world is all their rubbish? I can only conclude that perhaps they are producing an excessive amount and so are taking it to work and disposing of it there (they work on a construction site). I'm not complaining, just surprised. Is this another German thing??

[rammy100]

Well how bizarre - as I said before - they had put out the general waste - or so I assumed as the bins in the cottage were all empty. I've just gone to sort out the outside bins ready for collection and they are all empty - no recycling - no food waste, no tins etc, no nothing! Well, there is plenty of food in the cottage and they can't have been living off beer, so where in the world is all their rubbish? I can only conclude that perhaps they are producing an excessive amount and so are taking it to work and disposing of it there (they work on a construction site). I'm not complaining, just surprised. Is this another German thing??

Well I live in an apartment in Germany and we share large, communal waste bins located in the car-park. We don't have anywhere for glass though and have to recycle bottles etc. in bins on the streets.

Maybe your guests have found somewhere suitable to get rid of everything. It's a little odd. I would have to ask.

Maybe if you can be friendly with them and show a longing for German beer, they'll bring you a crate when they return.