Members of Staff (Photo: City of Heidelberg)

The right bin

for your waste

Sorting your waste correctly is not only good for the environment – it can also save money. Every household in Heidelberg is responsible for sorting their waste into ‘residual waste’ (Restmüll), biowaste, paper and cardboard, and light packaging materials. The city offers a range of bins and bags to help them do this. If an individual, family or business moves into a property, that property must be registered for waste collection services.

Order new bins or make changes to your bins online

The online form makes it easy to order new bins or swap your existing bins for different ones. After your request has been received, the change will take effect within three weeks. The new fees will take effect from the time the new bins are supplied/the old ones are withdrawn.

Orders must be placed by the property owner or property manager. Once the change has been made, a modified ‘notification of charges’ (Gebührenbescheid) will be sent out.

Please note: A €15 administration fee will be charged for any change in number, type or size of bins, the regularity with which they are emptied, or the type of service selected.

Telephone advice: If you have any questions, please contact +49 6221 58-29999 (8 am to 1 pm Monday on Fridays).

Information by type of bin

Residual waste (Restmüll)

The residual waste bin is for all waste that cannot be recycled. This includes vacuum cleaner bags, diapers and sanitary products. The residual waste bin must be located on your property.

Bin sizes	60 (emptied on an ad-hoc basis only), 120, 240, 660, 1100, 2500 and 5000 liters. Residual waste bags for waste that does not fit in your bin can be purchased from the city’s administrative offices (Bürgerämter), at Wieblingen recycling yard, and at the reception of the Office of Waste Management and Municipal Cleansing (Amt für Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung).
Collection frequency	Weekly, two-weekly, or ad hoc. For bins that are emptied two-weekly, the week on which the bin is emptied depends on the house number: Even weeks for even house numbers, and uneven weeks for uneven house numbers. For example, if you live at number 45, your residual waste bin will be emptied in the odd-numbered calendar weeks. Ad-hoc collection means that the bin is only emptied when you request it. In this case you will only be charged for the number of times the bin is actually emptied. You will be charged for a minimum of two collections per year.
Service types	There are three different services available for residual waste bins: Basic Service, Full Service, and Convenience Service. Find out more here.
Charges	The charge for residual waste bins is broken down into a basic fee and an emptying fee. The charges depend on the size of the bin, the frequency with which it is emptied, and the type of service selected. Charges for waste disposal in Heidelberg

Biowaste (Bioabfall)

The biowaste bin is for all uncooked organic waste, for example kitchen waste and green garden waste. Biowaste is disposed of in bins located at your property.

Bin sizes	120 and 240 liters. Paper bags for biowaste that does not fit in your biowaste bin can be purchased from the city’s administrative offices (Bürgerämter), at Wieblingen recycling yard, and at the reception of the Office of Waste Management and Municipal Cleansing (Amt für Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung).
Collection frequency	Weekly or two-weekly. For bins that are emptied two-weekly, the week on which the bin is emptied depends on the house number: Even weeks for even house numbers, and uneven weeks for uneven house numbers. For example, if you live at number 45, your residual waste bin will be emptied in the odd-numbered calendar weeks. During the summer, those biowaste bins that would normally be emptied two-weekly are emptied weekly instead..
Service types	Basic Service, Full Service, and Convenience Service. Find out more here.
Charges	Users of the Basic Service have their biowaste bin emptied free of charge. Charges for waste disposal in Heidelberg
Home composting	Private households can request permission to compost garden and kitchen waste at their property.

Yellow bag/yellow bin (Gelber Sack)

The yellow bag (gelber Sack) or yellow bin (gelbe Tonne) is for retail packaging made from plastic, metal or composite materials, for example yoghurt pots, vegetable cans and milk cartons.

Bin sizes	Every household is entitled to two rolls of yellow bags each year for the disposal of their packaging materials. Yellow bags are available from all administrative offices (Bürgerämter), and from the receptions of the City Hall and the Office of Waste Management and Municipal Cleansing (Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung Heidelberg). Yellow bins of sizes 120, 240, 660 and 1100 liters are additionally available. If you use an Yellow bin it´s not allowed to use Yellow sacks anymore.
Collection frequency	Yellow bags/bins are collected/emptied every two weeks. Put your yellow bags/bins by the roadside by no later than 6 am on the collection day.
Service types	Basic Service, Full Service, and Convenience Service. Find out more here.
Costs	When you buy a product, the price includes the cost of disposing of its packaging. This means that, provided you use your yellow bags/bin correctly, you will not need to pay anything extra to dispose of your old packaging materials. Charges for Full Service for the yellow bin.

Paper and cardboard (Papier)

The paper bin is for paper and cardboard packaging materials, but also other paper and card products such as newspapers, brochures, and paper for printing and letter-writing. You are not obliged to use a paper bin.

Bin sizes	120, 240, 660, 1100, 2500 and 5000 liters. In exceptional circumstances, waste paper can be placed on the sidewalk in bundles (either in a cardboard box or tied with string) on the day of collection.
Collection frequency	Two-weekly
Service types	Basic Service, Full Service, and Convenience Service. Find out more here.
Charges	For users of the Basic Service where the bin is emptied every two weeks, the paper bin is free of charge. In exceptional circumstances, weekly collection is also available, for a fee. Full Service or Convenience Service are also available, also for an additional fee. Charges for waste disposal in Heidelberg

Glass

You can dispose of your old glass in the public bottle banks located all over the city. The bottle banks are for ‘hollow glass,’ i.e. bottles, jars and glasses, only.
Glass must be sorted into three colors – green, clear and brown. Please put glass of any other colors in the bottle bank for green glass. Flat glass – for example window glass – can be taken to the recycling yard in Kirchheim or Wieblingen.

If you wish, we can however provide you with glass bins to keep at your property. For this service please contact the Office of Waste Management and Municipal Cleansing (Amt für Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung).

Bin sizes (bins for keeping at your property)	120 and 240 liters.
Collection frequency	Weekly, two-weekly, four-weekly
Service types	Basic Service only. You can learn more about the different service types available for waste disposal here.

Bags for when you have more waste than fits in your bin

Please check that your waste fits in the bin and that the lid can close properly.

Overfilled waste bins, and waste left lying next to bins, can leave a mess behind when the bin is emptied, and attract vermin. Note also that the fee that you pay only covers one binful, so any excess waste is not covered by the fee.

If you only occasionally produce more than one binful of waste:

You can buy bags from the administrative offices (Bürgerämter) for any residual waste or biowaste that does not fit in your bin. These should be placed at the edge of the road by 6 am on the day of collection.
Residual waste and biowaste bins that are normally emptied two-weekly can also be put out in the intervening week if necessary. These additional collections of residual waste will incur an additional charge.
Paper, cardboard, ‘yellow bag/bin’ packaging materials, and green waste, can be handed in free of charge at any recycling yard.

Bags for waste that does not fit in the bin (No Full Service available – please place bags by the edge of the road for collection)	120-liter bag
Residual waste	€5.60
Green waste/dead leaves	€1

If you regularly produce more than one binful of waste:

If you often find that your waste does not fit in the bin, we recommend you order a larger, or additional, bin.
We will gladly help you assess what size of bin you need. Just call us on +49 6221 58-29999 (7.30 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday, 7.30 am to 1 pm on Fridays).

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The right bin for your waste