How do you talk about trash, rubbish, and garbage in German?

In American English, garbage and trash both refer broadly to discarded material. Rubbish is more common in British English. In German, Müll and Abfall are useful equivalents.

Similarly, the German words Müll and Abfall are often used interchangeably. Müll is the everyday word; Abfall (literally “fall-off”) sounds a bit more formal and technical - it’s what you’ll see on official signs and in recycling rules.

A “trash can” or “rubbish bin” is usually Mülleimer or Abfalleimer or, for the big one outside, Mülltonne. A “wastepaper basket” is Papierkorb. Useful sorting terms include Restmüll (residual waste), Biomüll (organic waste), Altpapier (wastepaper), and Gelber Sack or Gelbe Tonne (yellow bag or bin for certain packaging). Local collection rules vary.