The waste management strategy adopted by the Berlin House of Representatives for the period 2010 to 2020 also provides for an extension of the annual waste audits to provide a comprehensive report on material flows, and climate and environmental impacts for non­hazardous waste, in order to improve the control and evaluation of waste material flows. Therefore the Senate Environment Department, partially financed through the “Climate Protection – Sector strategies” programme of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, commissioned the IFEU Institute Heidelberg and the ICU Berlin to develop a plan for the im­plementation of exemplary, climate-friendly waste management measures for Land Berlin.

The public acquisition system can play an important role in a modern closed-cycle econo­my. Every year, official bodies in the city, from the city and district administrations to the public corporations, statutory bodies and public-law foundations purchase products and services costing some EUR 4 to 5 billion. When placing orders, a considerable contribution can be made to environmental protection by giving preference to environmentally-friendly products and materials and to processes which reduce the impact on the environment. In this way it is not only possible to conserve resources such as energy and water, but also to prevent threats to health and the environment.

Some 60,000 tonnes of organic waste are collected by BSR every year in the city’s BIOGUT bins. Since the summer of 2013, this organic waste has been treated in the newly-erected biogas fermentation plant in Berlin-Ruhleben. Recycling and energy recovery mean that in comparison with the composting procedures previously used it has been possible to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The biogas plant of BSR in Ruhleben has a capacity of 60,000 tonnes. The plant oper­ates using the dry fermentation method. Microorganisms from the organic waste generate the biogas. This method is particularly suitable for organic waste with a water content of 60–80%, which is typical for kitchen waste from Berlin households. After the biogas has been cleaned, treated and concentrated, it consists of 98% methane, and is therefore chemically identical with natural gas. After having been prepared in this way it can therefore be fed into the gas supply so that the natural gas vehicles used by BSR for waste collection can be refuelled at its own filling points. In the coming years it will be possible for BSR to operate as many as 150 natural gas vehicle

This application for Android devices displays the locations of waste glass containers on a map. Currently only data from the district Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is published - as soon as further locations are published, they can be applied to the application. The application is free, the source code is freely available.

How often are streets cleaned in Berlin? With the interactive map application street cleaning in Berlin, the cleaning frequency per week can be called up for each street in the Berlin city area. Additional information can be retrieved simply by clicking on the respective street - What is being cleaned? - Who is responsible and how high are the fees for the residents. The app can be used in any web browser on any device. The application is based on the geodata from the street cleaning directory of the Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) and is operated via the mapping platform ArcGIS Online .

Today Ayumi and Christian von Dycle were with us. They have found a way to create an eco-friendly cycle with their diapers: The 100% biodegradable deposits are collected, composted so that no bad odor arises, and can then be used as soil. The Dycle Community is still producing the diaper liners by hand , but this year it is planned to develop a machine that can produce much more diapers in less time. It is not important to invent a high-tech device, but a machine that is simple and effective so that it will be used in as many Dycle communities as possible in the future.

This project introduces large-scale 3D printing for the recycling of plastic waste. A multidisciplinary consortium, consisting of TU Delft, House of DUS... read more »

AMS aims to become an internationally leading institute where talent is educated and engineers, designers, digital engineers and natural/social scientist... read more »