--- title: "0% waste - 100% Harz - Harzer Tourismusverband e.V." url: "https://www.harzinfo.de/en/the-region/sustainable-harz/0-waste-100-harz" description: "The project “#Take it with you - 0% waste, 100% Harz\" launched by the Harz Tourism Association, now brings together various partners." language: "en" breadcrumb: "Root > Harzinfo > The Region > Sustainable Harz > 0% waste - 100% Harz" --- 0% waste - 100% Harz ==================== \#TakeItWithYou Behind the project "#TakeItWithYouAgain – 0% Waste, 100% Harz", initiated by the Harz Tourism Association, various partners have now come together, including the Harz National Park, the three state forestry services and the Harz Club, all working together for a waste-free natural environment in the Harz region. The problem is as old as hiking in the Harz itself. Alongside many responsible forest visitors who explore the woods without leaving any traces, there are also those who simply leave their rubbish behind. Whether glass, plastic, paper or even organic waste – every foreign object in nature harms it and affects a balanced ecosystem. It doesn’t have to be that way! That’s why we’re working together to raise awareness and make the issue more visible. And you’re needed too, dear visitor, because we can’t do it alone – #TakeItWithYouAgain. **Overview:** - - - *Play video*Play external content Please accept all necessary cookies to watch this video. Abandoned forest dwellers and their decomposition times ------------------------------------------------------- **Flicked fire devil** Decomposition: 2 - 7 years Zigarettenstummel auf einem Waldboden Attention! We're dealing with a particularly dangerous species here. The flicked-away fire devil can cause great harm when it really gets angry. Then it starts to fume and smoke. You really need to be careful, because before you know it, the little devil’s rage can start entire forest fires. That’s why it definitely has no place in the forest! In addition, it contains over 4,000 chemicals that it releases into its surroundings as it decomposes. In the worst case, it can even pollute up to 40 litres of groundwater. **Runaway Boozy Goat** Decomposition: up to 500 years weggeschmissene Dose im Wald Sometimes they decorate the roadside. You can often find them near benches or other places where people like to take a break. The tricky little critters like to seize their chance, once emptied, to sneak away with the next gust of wind. Once escaped, with their sharp-edged opening they are not very popular among the other forest dwellers. Still, they will annoy them for up to 500 years until they finally rot away. **Fallen-From-The-Nest Boozepecker** Decomposition: up to 50,000 years weggeschmissene Glasflasche im Wald This strange little creature was once left alone in the forest by a staggering traveller. Now it has lived here for many, many years. Its fragile body is dangerous for the other inhabitants of the forest, as they could hurt themselves on its shards. This creature will outlive us all, because under certain circumstances, it may remain in the forest for up to 50,000 years until it completely decomposes! **Snot-Covered Coati** Decomposition: 1 – 5 years weggeschmissene Maske Who has made themselves comfortable in the cosy foliage? Looks like a snotty coati. Its existence disgusts both humans and animals and also carries the risk of spreading viruses and diseases. So it stays behind on its own. It can take up to five years until it has completely dissolved. Yet it could have had such a nice end if properly disposed of with the residual waste. Then the decomposition process would have taken only three to six months. **Unwanted crustacean** Decomposition: 1 - 3 years Bananenschale Well, what do we have here? A discarded shellfish. Its former owner must have released it, believing it would feel more at home in the wild than with them. However, it doesn’t belong here and, as a yellow exotic, finds it hard to make friends. So it will spend another one to three years lingering in the forest. The reason the decay takes so long is that bananas come from a warmer climate zone. The local climate is too cool for the optimal decomposition of tropical fruit peels in the wild. **Escaped Water Rat** Decomposition: 500 – 1,000 years weggeschmissene Plastikflasche Hidden in the tall grass lies a shy water rat. No one knows whether it was left here on purpose or if the wind has carried it for many kilometres through the Harz. In any case, it still has a long way to go before it completely dissolves. First, it will break down in a long process into smaller and smaller plastic particles, until it finally ends up as microplastic in the soil or even in our groundwater. As long as we live, however, it will still look almost unchanged. After all, it takes between 500 and 1,000 years for a plastic bottle to decompose. **Abandoned Hungry Caterpillar** Decomposition: about 6 weeks weggeschmissene Papiertüte Who’s crawling through the undergrowth there? Looks like a very hungry caterpillar crossing our path. Carelessly thrown into nature, it now goes its own way and no one misses it. After about six weeks, it will be as if it had never been there. Well, almost. If it’s a bag with a print or if the paper is white instead of brown, chemicals were added during production, which are now slowly released into nature. Yet it could have made a great figure as a repurposed rubbish bag for the rest of the hike or bike ride. > Everything we throw away isn’t gone, it’s just somewhere else. Anna Schunck - Journalist The most frequently asked questions ----------------------------------- about the waste problem Expand allCollapse all - What kind of litter is repeatedly found in the forest? Most often, it’s rubbish left behind by forest visitors. This regularly includes empty packaging, glass or plastic bottles, but also cigarette butts, which are particularly harmful to nature. In spring and autumn, there are also more frequent occurrences of green waste and garden refuse that are "disposed of" in the forest under the false assumption that the disposal of organic waste does not harm the forest ecosystem. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, we have also observed that bulky waste of all kinds is increasingly being dumped illegally in the forest and left there. - What problems are associated with the waste? The rubbish left behind by people in the forest takes a long time to decompose. This is especially true for glass and plastic. During the decomposition process, various pollutants are released, which seep through the soil into our water resources and contaminate them. This can lead to illnesses. But it’s not only us who drink this water – the animals in the forest do as well, and they can also fall ill. Animals often can’t recognise these unnatural leftovers and repeatedly mistake them for food. Eating rubbish can sometimes even be fatal. In addition, glass and sharp-edged metal, such as from drink cans, pose a particular risk of injury to both humans and animals. Still-smouldering cigarette butts can be especially dangerous, as they not only release various pollutants into the environment but can even cause fires in the worst case. Because the climatic changes of recent years have already severely affected the Harz forest, the risk of forest fires is almost permanently high. The problem with garden waste and green cuttings is that they represent a particular disruption to the forest ecosystem. They can significantly contribute to the spread of unusual plant species in the forest, which in the worst case can displace native species. - What is already being done against the waste? The people involved in the project have all been actively working for many years to clean up their areas from the traces left behind by visitors. The main goal is to remove litter from the areas they manage. So, much of the work happens behind the scenes. With the and the cooperation #TakeItBackAgain, the joint efforts are meant to step into the spotlight, to raise awareness among both the stakeholders in the Harz and the visitors. The main focus is on prevention — avoiding litter through awareness — rather than reacting afterwards when rubbish has already been left in nature. In the National Park, information stations have already been set up to educate about the litter problem. In addition, banners have been placed in busy areas to inform about different types of waste and their often underestimated or even ignored decomposition times and environmental effects. Together with the Junior Rangers, ideas have been developed on how to creatively reuse waste and turn it into something new. Finally, visitors are also encouraged to collect litter during their hikes on a voluntary basis. The necessary equipment is provided for this. As a reward, you can get a special stamp in your Harz Hiking Badge booklet. As part of the #TakeItBackAgain campaign, two educational videos have already been produced in cooperation with the partners. You can find them here on the website or on the . - What can you do yourself? So that the question of where to put your rubbish during a hike or bike ride doesn’t even come up, it’s always a good idea to pack a small bag or pouch specifically for this purpose. This way, any rubbish can be safely stored — airtight or waterproof if needed — and taken back with you. We can’t expect you to also pick up the rubbish others have left behind. Whether you want to do that or not is entirely up to you. If you’d like to actively help us keep nature clean, you can take part in the . Equipped with borrowable litter pickers and rubbish bags, you can collect litter during your hikes. In return, you’ll receive a special Harzer Wandernadel stamp at the end. The pickers and bags are available at the following stations: National Park Visitor Centre Torfhaus, National Park Visitor Centre Brockenhaus (Ranger Station), National Park House Schierke, National Park House Ilsetal, and the Nature Experience Centre HohneHof. - Why are there usually no bins in the forest? There are mainly two reasons for this. On the one hand, it should be avoided that animals are attracted by full rubbish bins and mistake the rubbish for a food source. On the other hand, bad experiences were made in the past when rubbish bins were placed at resting areas in the forest. Quite often these were misunderstood as an invitation to dispose of all sorts of things, and the bins regularly overflowed. Given the size of the Harz region, we also rely heavily on our volunteers, who dedicate themselves to maintaining the hiking trails and benches. Regularly emptying the bins is time-consuming, sometimes unpleasant, and, since sharp objects or glass shards could be inside, also potentially dangerous. We therefore don’t want to burden our volunteers any further. For these reasons, we refrain from placing rubbish bins near the benches. - What penalties are there for illegally disposed waste? When answering this question, it does not only crucially depend on the type and amount of waste, but also on the federal state where the waste was illegally disposed of. The provide information on this. Partners of the initiative -------------------------- A litter-free nature in the Harz is close to our hearts, as well as to numerous partners of the project. That’s why we cooperate for #TakeItWithYou to join forces and help reduce waste in our forests.