The well-developed hiking trails in Garmisch-Partenkirchen take you across meadows and fields up to summit crosses with idyllic views. You should always have a little refreshment with you for such hikes. Snacks, fruit, coffee, whatever your heart desires. However, there are a few things to bear in mind to ensure that waste is disposed of correctly and does not end up in the forest.
The most sustainable and easiest option for avoiding rubbish in the forest is to take your food with you in a lunch box or other reusable container. This way, you can take your rubbish with you and separate it correctly at home. In general, however, you should avoid disposable packaging and store your bread in a tin rather than wrapping it in aluminium.
If the rubbish is unavoidable
Of course, rubbish cannot always be avoided on hikes in the countryside and walks in the forest. However, when it comes to disposal, only material that is decomposed by microorganisms will rot. But even in the decomposition of organic food, there are differences. Domestic food, for example, decomposes within a very short time. Tropical fruit, on the other hand, only decomposes completely after 1-2 years. It is therefore best to dispose of these leftovers in organic waste.
What happens to packaging that ends up as waste in the forest?
Paper itself is naturally biodegradable. However, many paper packages have additional coating materials such as adhesives, varnish or printing ink. These coatings are not only dangerous for flora and fauna, but also make the decomposition process much more difficult. This is why a newspaper took a whole three years to decompose completely. That's why not even paper should end up as rubbish in the forest.
Plastic vs. glass
Plastic bags, on the other hand, take much longer to decompose. Thin plastic bags only decompose after 20 years, chip bags only after 80 years. PET bottles, with their 500-year degradation time, are the lonely leader. The problem with plastic is that it does not degrade, but decomposes into microplastics. This increases the environmental impact even more. One material that is often underestimated at this point is glass! Although it does not release any harmful substances and can be recycled, if a glass bottle is left as rubbish in the forest, it will remain there for up to a million years. Therefore: Please also take glass bottles with you after the hike and throw them in the bottle bank or deposit machine.
