alt Hacker NewsLast time I was in Germany I saw elderly people going through garbage bins in the park I sat at. I think you overestimate the safety net in Germany. In my European country the elderly sit at cafes drinking coffee, not going through bins.
Update:
Every street corner has a yellow garbage bin for recycling. That is where your plastic bottles go. Seems like a better system than having elderly going through bins.
Replies
ezst • yesterday at 4:32 PM
Not OP but many people eligible for social benefits don't seek it, for all kinds of reasons (not knowing about it, pride, ideology, peer pressure, ...)
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spacechild1 • yesterday at 5:15 PM
Keep in mind that not every old person who searches garbage bins is actually poor. Some of them just have dementia. I personally know such people in my home town.
hypfer • yesterday at 4:30 PM
That's why I said "mostly"
Maybe in your country they also don't have a deposit on bottles/cans, making it pointless to go through trash cans?