Green bin: “recycled” plastic is not biodegradable

As every fall, the quality of sorting in green bins is declining. The City of Differdange is reminding residents of the essential rules so your organic waste becomes quality compost—not a problem.

With the arrival of fall and winter, green bins contain less yard waste and mostly kitchen scraps. It is precisely during this period that the Public Works Department (Service de la voirie) observes, year after year, a sharp rise in sorting errors. The result: the Minett-Kompost composting facility is currently recording an extremely high rate of waste that has no place in the green bin.

The main culprit: the plastic bag

Problem number one is plastic bags. Many of them are labeled as made from recycled plastic. Be careful: recycled does not mean biodegradable! A recycled plastic bag is still plastic. It does not break down; it contaminates the compost, and the Minett-Kompost teams have to remove it by hand.

These bags belong:

• in the black bin (residual waste), or
• in the blue Valorlux bag, if they are packaging or plastic film.

To wrap your kitchen scraps, use only certified biodegradable / compostable bags, paper bags, or simply newspaper.

What the green bin loves 💚

Kitchen waste

• Raw and cooked food scraps, fruit, vegetables.
• Coffee grounds, tea bags;
• Bread, spoiled or expired food;
• Meat or fish leftovers;
• Peelings or food scraps wrapped in newspaper;
• Biodegradable bags, paper bags.

Yard waste (cut into pieces)

• Hedge trimmings, tree and shrub prunings, rose bushes.
• Wood chips, potting soil.
• Lawn clippings, grass, weeds, hay, straw, leaves.
• Horticultural waste, fallen fruit, flowers.
• Potted plants (without the pot).

What the green bin hates 🛑

• Plastic bags and packaging — including recycled plastic.
• Magazines, waste paper, cardboard.
• Aluminum trays, espresso machine capsules.
• Cat litter, diapers.
• Glass, metals, textiles, ceramics, stones.
• Batteries, chemicals, medications.
• Personal hygiene products.
• Ashes, vacuum cleaner bags, sweepings, rubble.

When in doubt: if it was never alive, it does not go in the green bin.

Public trash cans are not private trash cans

The Public Works Department has also noted a clear increase in household waste dumped in public trash cans
— garbage bags, cardboard boxes, packaging leftovers. These receptacles are intended for small litter from passersby, not for household garbage.

The consequences are real: overflowing trash cans, dirty sidewalks, pests drawn in, and a significant extra workload for our teams, at the expense of other services to the community. Dumping household waste in public spaces is a violation.

Why sorting matters

Quality compost is only possible with properly sorted organic waste. Every plastic bag, every capsule, every diaper thrown into the green bin complicates the process, increases processing costs, and degrades a product that then returns to our gardens and fields. Sorting properly is a simple act that benefits the entire municipality.

Thank you for your cooperation!