Übung ?

Müll Umfrage

Q: Hello, we are from the press and are taking a small survey. It is about recycling. What is your personal opinion of it? Are you thinking of trash now while you shop?

A: Well, I think recycling is good. Garbage is indeed a reall problem. Something must be done to prevent it.

Q: You just came from shopping. Did you shop differently than previously?

A: Well, I didn´t actually change much (in the way I shopped). But I have been thinking of it. But, of course, one really could do more. For example, I often buy yogurt because (weil) my children really like it. There are a lot of plastic containers. I now buy milk in recycleable bottles, and I also no longer buy drinks that come in cans.

Q: Recycling is a bit more work. Is that a problem for you?

A: No, it actually is no problem. I have been bringing the glass and plastic to the container for some time; otherwise (sonst), the Mülltrennung quickly fills. And one can really do that (Und das kann man ja auf wirklich machen)! And then we have a garden with a compost pile. The kitchen by-prducts I have always been putting them in the compost pile. My grandfather had done this. Cans and plastic we collect separately. This is new.This is, of course, a bit more work, but it works.

Person 2

Q: May I also ask you? What do you think of recycling?

A: You know, I am an old woman. There isn´t a lot of trash. One doesn´t need much anymore (Da braucht man nicht mehr viel). In the morning and in the evening I eat bread, at lunch mostly soup. There isn´t much trash on a daily basis. When I have cans, I bring them to the container. It is located in front of my house. I don´t have to go far.

Person 3

Q: Hello, sir. May I ask you something? What are your feelings about the new politics of ´trash´?

A: You mean recycling? To tell you the truth, I really can´t say anything about it (can´t comment on it).My wife takes care of this.

Q: But you just got done shopping? Did you think of trash when shopping?

A: No. Honestly, no. My wife made a shopping list for me. She didn´t have time to shop today. I only bought what she wrote down on the list. I´m sorry.

Person 4

Q: Hello. We are taking a survey. I see you have brought along plastic containers to use while shopping.

A: Yes.This is very practical.I always buy cheese and sausage this way. You don’t need things packaged any longer, and there is no trash. And there is no unpacking when I get home. I can put the things in the refrigerator as they are.

Q: I probably don’t need to ask you what you think of recycling?

A: Recycling is proper and necessary. Indeed (doch) everyone knows this. We must have more containers (recycling containers?), I think. My family and I are quite contientious. We only buy drinks in returnable bottles and even wine.We discovered the wine seller takes the bottles back (zurücknimmt). And our children would never buy limonade in cans.

Person 5

Q: Und Sie? Denken Sie beim Einkaufen an den Müll?

A: Yes, I have been (Ja schon).I have been trying to. But, you know, I don’t have a car. I must carry everything by myself.We drink a lot of milk, you know, and the returnable bottles are really too large and heavy.Hence (also) I always buy milk and juice in plastic cartons (Tüten = plastic shopping bags; plastic cartons of the type the hold juice). I simply can’t carry it otherwise. Recycling is really a good idea, but it is a lot of work (sehr schon viel Arbeit). I already have enough work already, anyway.Our apartment is small and in our mini-kitchen now there are three rubbish bins (trash cans?). But it is completely correct to do so (Aber, na ja, es ist aber richtig so).

Person 6

Q: And you—do you shop differently than previously?

A: No, I buy want and what I need.Should I tell you something (Soll ich Ihnen ‘was [i.e. etwas] sagen)? The topic of rubbish slowly (allmählich) gets on my nerves. Who is creating most of the refuse? We are not, anyway!It is industry. Industry produces the most rubbish.This is where you have to start. And, in addition, you know what happens when I bring my bottles (next word was unclear) to the container? The container is, then, full. And I must then carry them all back home.

Q: The container is always full?

A: No, of course, not always but often. And it is generally complete nonsense. If trash is such a big problem, then why, for example, are drinks in cans available at all?You should, then, forbid this! If there aren’t cans available for purchase, then they cannot purchased—right (oder)?