Germany Rejects “Wegwerfkultur”

Anyone who has attempted to learn German realizes immediately that the language makes use of compound nouns that seem to have no limit in length.  If, God forbid, you’re looking for an insurance company that provides legal protection, you need a Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften.

The word for the throwaway culture that we all find ourselves part of isn’t quite as harrowing an experience, but you’re still talking about the Wegwerfkultur–and the Germans want no part of it.

That’s why they’ve decided to get on the right side of the single-use plastics ban, bringing it in line with an EU directive intended to reduce the amount of plastic trash generated.  The sale of single-use cutlery, plates, stirring sticks and balloon holders, as well as polystyrene cups and boxes, will be banned from July 3, 2021.

Kudos.