Green Waste (Grüngut)

What belongs in green waste

Grass cuttings, leaves, branches and tree prunings, perennials and plant remains, small quantities of root stocks, potting soil without the pot, windfall fruit and untreated plant parts. In many municipalities kitchen waste is also collected through the green waste scheme.

What does not belong in green waste: plant pots made of plastic or ceramic, treated wood, fence slats and boards, stones and gravel, garden hoses and sheeting, cat litter, ash and residual waste (Kehricht).

Invasive species are a special case

Invasive neophytes such as Japanese knotweed, buddleia, cherry laurel, staghorn sumac or giant hogweed must not go into the ordinary green waste collection. Parts of their roots and stems survive composting and are then spread further through the finished compost.

That material has to go to incineration as residual waste instead. During garden clearances we identify and separate these species — a point that is often overlooked and that genuinely contributes to their spread.

Why it matters in a house clearance

When a house with a garden is cleared, a considerable volume of green waste often comes with it: overgrown beds, shrubs, hedges, an old compost heap. This belongs in the quote, because green waste is its own transport and disposal volume and must not simply be thrown into the bulky waste skip.