Sustainability - it is a way of life.
Food source
Local farms that turn into small pop-up restaurants are popular in Freiburg, they serve their own wine and food. Food is planted organically and meat supply is locally sourced from butchers. They also have supermarkets that sells imported foods but locals normally prefer to shop from farmer markets for organic and fresh ingredients.
Local farms that turn into small pop-up restaurants are popular in Freiburg, they serve their own wine and food. Food is planted organically and meat supply is locally sourced from butchers. They also have supermarkets that sells imported foods but locals normally prefer to shop from farmer markets for organic and fresh ingredients.
Water supply
There are two water plants in Freiburg that supply drinking water to the city's 230,000 inhabitants. Water is distributed through a 630 km pipeline network where 17.4 million cubic meters of water is passed around annually.
There are also small paved canals that flow throughout the town. They were built about 600 years ago to bring water from the Black Forest to both support the city and help fight fires, today they act as an attraction. Canals are few inches deep and around the width of a car tire.
There are two water plants in Freiburg that supply drinking water to the city's 230,000 inhabitants. Water is distributed through a 630 km pipeline network where 17.4 million cubic meters of water is passed around annually.
There are also small paved canals that flow throughout the town. They were built about 600 years ago to bring water from the Black Forest to both support the city and help fight fires, today they act as an attraction. Canals are few inches deep and around the width of a car tire.
Waste Management
Throughout Germany, the volume of solid waste has been declining because of waste avoidance and aggressive recycling efforts. Almost 70% of the country’s waste is being recovered and reused. The number of landfills from the 1970's to present, fell from 50,000 to 200.
Each household or apartment building is equipped with three bins: one for paper, one for organic food and garden wastes (the “bio-bin”), and one for non-recyclables. They also have a “yellow sack” for packaging, such as tin cans. The bins are emptied and the sacks picked up regularly by the local waste management company. In Freiburg the bio-bin is emptied once a week, the others once every two weeks. Glass must be sorted by color and deposited in community bins.
Throughout Germany, the volume of solid waste has been declining because of waste avoidance and aggressive recycling efforts. Almost 70% of the country’s waste is being recovered and reused. The number of landfills from the 1970's to present, fell from 50,000 to 200.
Each household or apartment building is equipped with three bins: one for paper, one for organic food and garden wastes (the “bio-bin”), and one for non-recyclables. They also have a “yellow sack” for packaging, such as tin cans. The bins are emptied and the sacks picked up regularly by the local waste management company. In Freiburg the bio-bin is emptied once a week, the others once every two weeks. Glass must be sorted by color and deposited in community bins.
Product Responsibility
In Germany recycling is for manufacturers too, they have strong laws that forbid manufacturers from wasting. Since 1996, manufacturers must consider waste avoidance, waste recovery, and environmentally compatible disposal in designing products. "According to Look (2009), in 2007 over 88% of Germany’s packaging waste was recovered."
Freiburg reduced its annual waste disposal from 140,000 tons in 1988 to 50,000 tons in 2000. The waste is then burned for energy in an incinerator 20 km from the city.
In Germany recycling is for manufacturers too, they have strong laws that forbid manufacturers from wasting. Since 1996, manufacturers must consider waste avoidance, waste recovery, and environmentally compatible disposal in designing products. "According to Look (2009), in 2007 over 88% of Germany’s packaging waste was recovered."
Freiburg reduced its annual waste disposal from 140,000 tons in 1988 to 50,000 tons in 2000. The waste is then burned for energy in an incinerator 20 km from the city.
By: Mabel Cheung 11.2