AWM's Waste Education Programs for Munich's Kitas and Schools

The Official Rule

If you’re wondering whether Munich actually teaches kids about waste sorting and recycling in any structured way, or whether it’s left entirely to what parents cover at home, there’s a real, free program most families simply haven’t heard of yet.

AWM (Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München), the city’s municipal waste management operator, runs a set of free, age-specific educational offerings that any Kita or school in the city can request directly. Participation isn’t automatic, though, a Kita or school has to actively book a session, so it’s worth checking with your child’s teacher whether this has come up, or reaching out yourself.

For Kita-age children, the offering centers on a Kamishibai storytelling session, a Japanese-style illustrated storytelling format, called “Toni Trennhörnchen und die Müllabfuhr” (Toni the Sorting Squirrel and the Garbage Truck), paired with a hands-on waste-sorting activity. It runs 45 to 60 minutes for groups of 8 to 12 preschool children, typically scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings, and a garbage truck demonstration can be added by separate arrangement. For elementary schools, AWM’s Müllmobil brings two educators from the Kindermuseum München directly to the school, setting up interactive stations where children explore material properties and the real connections between raw materials, waste, and recycling cycles. A Digital Müllmobil extends this for grades 3 through 6, combining short learning videos with worksheets and experiments.

What Real People Say

The detail worth appreciating here is that AWM’s materials, from the Toni Trennhörnchen storybook content to the Müllmobil’s hands-on stations, are built around Munich’s actual, real sorting and disposal system rather than generic waste-education content translated from somewhere else. That matters practically: a child who goes through this program is learning the specific bins, categories, and rules their own family actually uses at home, not an abstract version that doesn’t map onto daily life in the city.

Since none of this happens automatically, the families who benefit most are usually the ones who ask. If your child’s Kita or school hasn’t mentioned any of this, a short email to schulen.awm@muenchen.de or a direct question to staff costs little and can open the door to a program your child might genuinely enjoy.

Step by Step

1. Ask your child’s Kita or school directly whether they’ve booked any AWM waste education programs.
2. If not, suggest they reach out to schulen.awm@muenchen.de to inquire about scheduling the Kita storytelling session or the elementary Müllmobil.
3. For Kita-age children, expect a 45-to-60-minute Kamishibai session with “Toni Trennhörnchen,” typically on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning.
4. For elementary-age children, ask about the Müllmobil, which brings hands-on research stations and Kindermuseum München educators to the school itself.
5. For grades 3 through 6, ask whether the Digital Müllmobil format, combining videos, worksheets, and experiments, might fit better than the in-person version.

Compliance Note

This page describes AWM’s general waste education offerings for Kitas and schools in Munich, current as of mid-2026. It is not an official AWM communication. Program availability, scheduling, and content can change, confirm current details directly with AWM at schulen.awm@muenchen.de.