The waste problem is that bad
Table of contents
Table of contents
Every year, 300,000 tons of garbage end up on Germany’s streets and in parks.
300,000 tons.
Every.
Bloody.
Year.
300,000 tons, that’s for example:
- 30 Eiffel Towers
- 7.500 trucks or
- 50.000 elephants
That’s an incredible amount.
And you know what it’s like when you’re looking forward to a nice afternoon in the park: you want to make yourself comfortable on a meadow and study there.
As soon as you arrive at the park, you see strange things … dog excrement, used toilet paper, syringe needles, sanitary towels … objects that definitely don’t belong there.
Empty drinks cans and ketchup-smeared paper plates, which you also discover on the meadow, are the least of it. Believe it or not, we even found a goat’s foot in the park. 🙀
Disgusting!
You feel like your lunch is about to come up.
Frustrated and with a queasy stomach, you decide to go back home and study within your own four walls.
Unfortunately, many people are like you.
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to put up with the disgusting state of affairs out there, nobody does. Because we can all do something about the garbage in our cities.
This is what happens when garbage is left lying around for too long
Garbage causes a lot of problems, whether in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne … garbage lying around is simply mega rubbish, always.
Garbage lying around
- destroys the appearance of a clean, well-kept, liveable city,
- attracts pests such as rats and mice, which can transmit diseases,
- pollutes soils and water sources with harmful substances,
- endangers children and pets at play (e.g. through broken glass) and
- drags down the people who have to live in such an environment.
We say no to garbage lying around and want to do our bit, so on World Environment Day it was time for us to grab our garbage bags and clean up!
Want to find out more about the background to our campaign? Then read on now!
Why the campaign is important to us
We made a small contribution with the clean-up campaign on June 5.
Local authorities, public order offices, cleaning companies – they are all also fighting against waste in our environment. The problem: these institutions reach their limits every day, there is simply too much garbage that is carelessly thrown away.
That’s why we wanted to set an example on World Environment Day as the Staytoo family by getting involved. We set off in the morning, our team grabbed the bin tongs and bags to go on a litter hunt in Berlin’s Viktoriapark.
Plastic bags, disposable cups, cigarette butts, bottles, cardboard boxes – the garbage had many faces on this day. None of it was pretty, but no matter! After all, we were there to remove the garbage from the park.
We would never have guessed that it was so much fun. Let the pictures speak for themselves.
So we had fun that day, were out and about a lot and wanted to set an example. Going out and picking up garbage yourself has so many positive effects that it’s always worthwhile, not just on World Environment Day.
Help the environment: Picking up litter makes your surroundings more liveable, healthier and more beautiful, not only for yourself but also for your fellow human beings, who will thank you for it.
Be a role model: Tackling things yourself and setting a good example sets an example. Other people will be inspired and motivated to do something good too. Personal initiative shows that it can be done! Inhibitions to get involved can be lowered in this way.
A sense of responsibility: When you pick up litter, you show that you care about what happens around you. It feels good to take responsibility and to realize that you have a positive influence on your environment.
Personal development: Parties and trips are cool, but it is precisely the responsibility you take on during such activities that helps you to grow as a person and mature. This doesn’t necessarily have to be litter picking, you can also get involved in other ways, for example at an animal shelter or in community gardens. Either way, your character will benefit from it.
As you can see, there are plenty of good reasons to look after your environment. This starts on a small scale, for example if you see garbage lying around somewhere that you can pick up and throw in a garbage can.
However, please be careful and pay attention to hygiene, never touch broken glass of unknown origin or empty syringes! The safest way to dispose of waste is with waste tongs like the ones we used. You can buy them online for a few euros, or ask at your Staytoo house if you can borrow one.
Spread the word and take action yourself!
Do you like our campaign? Then tell your friends about it or, even better, start such a campaign yourself via social media!
How about a short reel on Insta and TikTok where you announce that you’re starting a similar cleanup in a nearby park? Publish the reel a few days before the actual event so that potential helpers can plan.
A little tip: Topics such as sustainability and environmental protection are particularly popular on X (formerly Twitter), where postings about such a campaign also fit in well.
If you start an appeal on social media and find out about it through us, we would of course appreciate a props in the form of a mention. 👍
What else you can do for the environment
Here are some more tips on how you can do your bit for the environment!
Produce less waste yourself: The good deed starts with yourself: Review your consumption habits and ask yourself how you can produce less waste in your everyday life. There are now sustainable alternatives for many disposable products (e.g. reusable coffee cups for on the go), instead of a plastic toothbrush you can use a wooden toothbrush in future, etc. You will see that this is a super exciting journey to discover new ways to save waste, e.g. via tutorials on YouTube.
Separate waste: Unfortunately, a big problem nowadays is still that many people don’t separate their waste. Not cool. But it’s not that difficult if you use three small garbage cans or bin liners and empty them regularly into the right garbage cans. Make sure you also use the recycling centers to dispose of these materials and also take empty batteries and electronic waste to the appropriate collection points.
Support and educate associations: Become a member of associations such as the BDE (Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Kreislaufwirtschaft e.V.) and find out about the topic through local offers such as the BSR-Abfall-ABC in Berlin.
Over time, you will become a real professional and be able to pass on your valuable knowledge about waste separation, disposal and recycling. The better and more experienced you become, the more useful it can also be to give workshops on the subject, for example at your university.
More articles in our blog
Have you got the urge to do something good for yourself and the environment? Then we have even more tips for you that you’ll love:
And now let’s get to the garbage tongs! 😉
We hope we’ve been able to inspire you to do more for the environment. Feel free to contact us in your Staytoo house about such campaigns, we are happy to plan nice campaigns together with you residents.
With this in mind … stay and keep your environment clean!
Ahoy and see you soon,
Your Staytoo team