What struck me during my two stays in Germany is that recycling was already pretty important in everyday lives. Indeed, the country is already recycling or reusing 70 % of its waste. (the proportion in the United States is of only 33 %.)
Earth911.com explains how the country achieved such a performance : “In 1996, German lawmakers who were concerned about the country’s growing number of landfills passed the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act.”
For more details on how Germany achieved a key requirement of a more sustainable development, please check out the full article.