Munich is replacing the recycling containers for packaging waste at local collection points with the Gelbe Tonne (yellow bin), which will stand outside residents’ homes. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the bins are being delivered now and will come into use in early January 2027.
What happened
Until now, Munich residents have taken packaging waste to Wertstoffinseln, the shared recycling points with large containers found around the city. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that this ends in January. Packaging will then go into a yellow bin at each property.
Two private companies handle delivery and collection, and each covers one half of the city. In the east, the company is Knettenbrech und Gurdulic. It confirmed to the newspaper that it began delivering bins on a Tuesday, and that the first bins in the east will be emptied in early January 2027. Alexander Pabst, who heads the company’s municipal services, said about 62,000 bins should reach properties in the eastern districts by the end of the year.
Knettenbrech und Gurdulic serves these districts: Altstadt-Lehel, Au-Haidhausen, Berg am Laim, Bogenhausen, Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, Maxvorstadt, Milbertshofen-Am Hart, Obergiesing-Fasangarten, Ramersdorf-Perlach, Schwabing-Freimann, Schwabing-West, Trudering-Riem and Untergiesing-Harlaching. Delivery started in Ramersdorf-Perlach and is moving clockwise. The smaller 120-litre and 240-litre bins come first, and Pabst said the larger ones will follow over the coming weeks.
The rest of the city, the west, is covered by RMG Rohstoffmanagement GmbH, which is based in Eltville am Rhein. It began delivering bins the week before the report. Over three weeks it plans to supply every household in Neuhausen-Nymphenburg and Feldmoching-Hasenbergl first.
What it means for you
You do not need to register. Bins come in 120, 240, 770 and 1,100 litre sizes and are delivered to the properties that should get them. In buildings with several flats, this usually means your landlord or Hausverwaltung (property management) deals with the bins, though the source does not say this directly.
Accepting a yellow bin is not compulsory. This is different from the bins run by the Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München (AWM), the city’s own waste management service, which are mandatory. In the east, you can refuse the bin by emailing LVP-Muenchen-Ost@knettenbrech-gurdulic.de. If it has already been delivered, the company will collect it again free of charge. The newspaper warns that refusing leaves you with no other environmentally sound way to dispose of packaging, because Pabst says the plastic and can containers at the Wertstoffinseln will be removed in December. The article does not give an opt-out contact for the western districts.
Once collections start, bins will be emptied every 14 days. Here is what residents in the east should know:
- Collection dates: search for your street on Knettenbrech und Gurdulic’s website. A printed Abfuhrkalender (collection calendar) will also be posted to every household.
- Putting the bin out: on collection day, the household must place the bin at the kerb by six in the morning at the latest. The company offers a paid service to move bins out and back.
- Missed collections: if a bin cannot be emptied, for example because access is blocked or it contains the wrong waste, it will not be emptied until the next scheduled date.
Henning Hombach, a spokesperson for Knettenbrech und Gurdulic, gave the newspaper some advice on filling the bin. He said residents can go ahead and squash plastic flat. To fit as much in as possible, throw packaging in loose. If you prefer to collect it in bags, leave the bags open so the contents compress better.
If you live in the west, RMG publishes information about further deliveries and future collections on its website, rmg-gmbh.de.
What to watch next
Look out for your yellow bin and the printed collection calendar in your post over the coming weeks. Larger bins for bigger buildings in the east are still to be delivered. The recycling containers for plastic and cans at your nearest Wertstoffinsel are due to go in December. In western districts outside Neuhausen-Nymphenburg and Feldmoching-Hasenbergl, delivery dates had not been announced when the article was published, so check RMG’s website for updates.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Sources
- Süddeutsche Zeitung: Abfallentsorgung in München: Die Gelbe Tonne ist unterwegs, accessed 13 October 2026
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