Waste separation and recycling in Hamburg

Black bin - residual waste (Restmüll)

Everything that cannot be recycled, for example used tissues and kitchen paper, nappies, cat litter, ash and cigarette ends, ceramics, and plastic bags of rubbish.

Blue bin - paper (Papier)

Newspapers, magazines, exercise books, books, catalogues, cardboard boxes and paper bags. Not in plastic bags. Used kitchen paper and tissues go in the black bin; milk and juice cartons go in the yellow bin. The standard blue bin costs nothing extra.

Yellow bin or bag - packaging, plastic and metal (Wertstofftonne)

Hamburg's yellow recycling bin (or yellow bag) takes packaging and other items made of plastic or metal: yoghurt pots, plastic bottles and drinks cans without a deposit, food tins, aluminium foil, lids, plastic bags and films, cleaning and cosmetics bottles, milk and juice cartons, and also non-packaging items such as plastic toys, metal cutlery, pots and tools. Not glass, paper, textiles, electrical appliances, wood or hazardous waste. Tenants can order yellow bags free of charge by phone or online.

Green bin - organic waste (Biotonne)

Fruit and vegetable scraps, cooked food leftovers, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, bread, eggshells, dairy products without packaging, and garden waste such as grass, leaves and cut flowers. No plastic bags, including "compostable" plastic bags: they do not break down at Hamburg's biogas and composting plant. Wrap wet waste in newspaper or use paper bags. No liquids or cat litter.

• Glass: take bottles and jars to the public glass containers and separate white, brown and green glass. Red, blue, yellow and black glass goes into the green container, and so does brown glass if there is no brown container. Use the containers only on weekdays between 7:00 and 20:00. Ceramics, porcelain and mirror glass do not belong there.
• Old clothes: wearable textiles in bags (up to 60 litres) can go into textile containers or to the recycling centres, free in small quantities up to one cubic metre.
• Deposit bottles and cans (Pfand): return them to the shop for your deposit; they do not belong in the yellow bin.

Stadtreinigung Hamburg runs 12 recycling centres. Many things can be handed in free of charge, including used clothes, batteries, CDs and DVDs, electrical appliances (fridges: at most two), fire extinguishers, garden waste, hazardous household waste (Problemstoffe), scrap metal, bulky waste and used motor oil. Some items, such as car tyres, asbestos cement and rubble, are charged.

• Opening hours (2026): Monday to Friday mostly 8:00-17:00, at Harburg, Bahrenfeld, Hummelsbüttel and Wandsbek 8:00-19:00; Saturday 8:00-17:00 at all sites. Closed on public holidays, the Saturday after Good Friday, 24 and 31 December.
• Bring proof that you live in Hamburg: an ID card, or a passport together with your registration confirmation.
• Do not hand electrical appliances to people waiting outside the recycling centres; use the official drop-off.

A mobile collection vehicle (Schadstoffmobil) also accepts hazardous household waste at changing locations.

For furniture and other large household items that do not fit in a bin, you can take them to a recycling centre or book a collection online or by phone (040 25 76 25 76, Monday to Friday 7:00-18:00). Prices in 2026:

• Standard collection up to 8 m³: €35 if the items are placed outside the building on the property, €50 if collected from inside; €5 for each further cubic metre.
• SPRINT collection on the next working day (if ordered by 12:00): €95 on top, up to 10 m³.
• Dismantling service: €7.50 per worker per started quarter of an hour, only with the standard service and booked in advance.

Not accepted as bulky waste: anything that fits in a normal bin, garden waste, building waste, bags or boxes full of waste, and hazardous materials.

Look up the collection days for your address in the SRH collection calendar or the SRH app. Bins are ordered by the property owner, and the cost normally appears in your service-charge statement. If you see illegally dumped rubbish, you can report it online or on the "Saubere Stadt" line, 040 25 76 11 11.