Big Old Bag of Stinky Diapers

There will be no picture to accompany this post.  Diapers and the plastic bags they're contained in are not very fun to photograph ;o)

BUT I did want to blog about this really quick before I leave for our trip and completely forget to mention it.  It's an interesting little tidbit about the German garbage system.  And I know how important it is for all of you to fully understand what the Germans do with their trash ;o)

Remember how when I first got here I explained a little bit about how differently the Germans handle their recycling and garbage?

As a refresher:  A family our size gets a huge blue garbage can to fill with recyclable paper.  It gets collected once a month.  We also get an unlimited amount yellow bags called "gelb sacks" that we put all sorts of recyclable plastics, aluminum, and etc. in.  Those go out twice a month.  We also recycle glass whenever we feel like it (unlimited and free) because there are these huge collection bins sprinkled in multiple locations throughout all German villages.  You just take your box of glass and toss it in whenever convenient for you... except for if you get the urge to recycle your glass at 3am or something like that.  Then you should probably wait till morning.

Everything else is residual waste and goes in a tiny tiny trash can twice a month.  Seriously, the thing fits less garbage than a typical kitchen trash can in the States.  But since we're recycling so much, we actually almost always "make the cut".  It's pretty cool to think that we are contributing so much less to the landfills of the world while we live here.

But back to the diapers.  Since I almost always use cloth I haven't had to worry about this.  But think about it.  I currently have three kids living at my house who are using disposables (because I decided that Momma is on cloth diaper vacation starting a few days ago).  Ain't no way we can fit all those diapers in the residual waste container.

Then I remembered that I had learned early on about "diaper bags".  You simply go down to the Rathaus (similar to the town hall I think... Lilo calls it the management hehe) and you show them your proof of residence and your kid's birth certificate and BOOM.  All your trash worries are solved.  They give you a HUGE roll of bags that you fill with diapers only.  Then the stinky bags go out right next to your regular residual trash containers on pick up day.  But you can put out as many as you need and you don't get charged!  How cool is that?

If you don't have a kid pumping out 4-6 dirty diapers a day, then you don't think this is super cool.  But I do.  Especially since I need to multiply that by three cousins' worth of dirty diapers.  Thank you Germany for thinking of cool solutions that help out us families with small children!

Speaking of the three cousins.  I'm on my own for kid duty today cause the rest of the family is getting away for an overnight to Paris.  And they're playing really well right now but I should probably go show them our new batch of homemade play dough before they start arguing over the one toy that obviously all three children must play with at once ;o)


Two more days till our anniversary vacation!!!!!