May 15: Poverty in Berlin

I have to admit that many times throughout this blog I’ve looked at Germany with the eyes of someone from a small town. I’ve praised aspects of German culture without stopping to analyze whether they are really good or worthy of admiration. You can find plenty of examples of that in the blog.

I’ve already mentioned that Germany is a country of contrasts, and that alongside the opulence of its Mercedes and BMWs there is a part of society that is poor, that suffers, and that goes hungry. In Berlin you won’t find shantytowns like in Madrid, for example. But you will find hundreds of people walking the streets searching through the rubbish for food, clothes, and above all bottles and containers with Pfand.

You already know what Pfand is: a deposit system designed to save energy and materials that places a surcharge on drink containers. You pay it when you buy the product, and you get it back when you return the container to the shop.

Below I’m including a series of photos taken from my room, of the residence’s rubbish containers. Over the course of a single day when I wasn’t working, I saw five different people searching through the bins.

Poverty in Berlin

Poverty in Berlin

Poverty in Berlin

Poverty in Berlin