Keeping Hamburg Clean: Waste Collection and Street Sanitation

This morning, we departed on a ferry to Hamburg's Waste Management Facility. The focus of today was waste collection, how trash is gathered, sorted, and processed on the streets of Hamburg. As we delved into the city's waste management system, we gained insight into the logistics and environmental considerations that keep Hamburg clean and sustainable.

Although the guide mostly spoke German (I caught some words), the tour was enjoyable. Before we walked to see the actual facilities, we had a slideshow on the facility's history, how it works, and how a flue gas treatment works. I will break down the condensed version for you. Firstly, I learned that there has been a waste incineration facility in Hamburg since 1896, and its been 120 years of this facility was established in Hamburg. Then we moved onto how it works. From what I understood, there were a few main rooms in which the waste was dealt with: Flue Gas Treatment facility, storage tanks, laboratory, Boiler room, and Waste bunker, to name a few.

If you're wondering what "flue gas treatment" means, don’t worry, I was too. At first, it didn’t sound all that interesting, but stick with me for a second. Here’s how it works: ammonia water is added into a boiler while waste is put into a separate compartment. This process creates ash and produces steam, which is that white cloud you see rising from the chimneys of traditional waste facilities. From there, the flue gases pass through several filters, and the temperature increases significantly. Next, the gases undergo a special treatment process before being released through a chimney. Meanwhile, the actual waste is incinerated, and that’s where it gets interesting. Through this process, the trash is not just burned and left. It is transformed into energy for the city of Hamburg.

As far as I know, I’ve never visited a waste management facility that gives back energy the way this one does. Back home, there's a large concrete factory near where I live. Every day, I watch as more land is scraped away, more trees are uprooted, and communities are pushed farther and farther out. But here in Germany, I’ve started to notice something different. Sustainability isn't just a goal. It is genuinely part of daily life. And what strikes me most is that it’s not made into a big statement. It’s just…normal. And if it’s normalized, that means it’s accessible in some way.

For example, take green roofs. I’ve seen them on buildings in both Berlin and Hamburg. Other examples include fewer cars, more apartment complexes instead of sprawled out suburbs, and more people on trains and bikes. I could go on and on. Coincidentally, I came into this experience expecting to learn about sustainability and how Germany is building a better, more environmentally conscious quality of life. But the biggest takeaway so far isn’t just what they’re doing, it is how they’ve woven it into everyday life. The real difference isn’t in our ability to become sustainable. It’s in our ability to normalize it. And not everyone is a large "sustainability coach," but they are noticeably mindful. Awareness should never be stigmatized.

After the presentation, we prepared. I slipped on my heavy-duty bright blue and yellow worker jacket, zipped it up, and put on my hard hat and safety goggles. Safe to say that we looked unusual and uncomfortable (see photos). While walking to the first facility building, I deciphered that Boilers help burn 1 thousand tons of waste a day. And that delivery trucks pass by often.

After walking through a tunnel of pipes, we emerged to see the view from the top of the building. Of course, I came face to face with another green roof and some white smoke. The best part was seeing where the trash was picked up by crane and burned, but the absolute worst was the permeating smell. It immediately took me back to Toy Story 3, when the toys are trapped in the incinerator and saved at the last moment by a giant claw. Somewhat scary and unsettling. Then, we walked back down again after snapping a few quick photos.

The Claw

Finally, I witnessed the dumping area for all the waste. I definitely had to hold my breath at the expense of the smell. I could see a pit of plastic and glass bottles, chairs, plastic wrapping (most commonly), dirt, and the occasional stained mattress. Although it was sobering (the smell and the immensity of clothing), I did find it helpful to see how much trash overconsumption can create. I guarantee that some of those things were not even ready to be thrown away. If waste were in front of our faces more often, we would undoubtedly consume less.

After stowing away our hard hats for lunch, we went to meet with an organizer for a street sanitation program. Each of us got our own heavy-duty gloves, metal bucket, and trash-collecting claw. As we began, I was on the lookout for large amounts of trash. I was very wrong. As you can see (video below), there are no large pieces of trash in the streets of Hamburg. I had a recurring thought: If this were in the United States, we would need better tools and a much larger trash bag. Instead, the majority of our "trash" was cigarette butts and bottle caps.

I find it strange how smoking cigarettes is much more common in Germany than it is in New Mexico, especially in public. Finding thousands of cigarettes on the ground took some getting used to. It is one of the first habits I noticed in Germany when I came face to face with a smoking lounge in the middle of the airport. Amazing how something that benign can be a chore to pick up.

The Empty Streets of Hamburg

I honestly enjoyed picking up trash. It gave me time to be in my headspace, help the city, and clean up the environment. We had many laughs and even started a competition to see how much trash we could collect in the allotted time... My team won. Our prize was lip balm, which was good enough for me.

It was easy to roam around and look in the crevices of the street and the nearby park. It was a busy Friday in the area, and the city was bustling. So, we did have to watch out for bikes and avoid bumping into pedestrians during our search for more trash. Still, despite what we were doing, many people gave us strange or even disapproving looks, as if we weren’t helping more than they were.

Unfortunately, there were no big trash finds, maybe the occasional plastic bottle. If it was something large, it was usually cardboard, not plastic. It made me ask a question I kept coming back to: Where does all the trash go? I still have yet to uncover that.

The day ended with a cold dinner: cheese, bread, and meat. Simple, but still good after a long day. Tomorrow, we’re back on schedule with a workshop called “Roleplaying." Curious to see what roles we’ll have to step into? Keep reading to find out!