noun
waste, trash
B1
Abfall (der) means 'waste' or 'trash', referring to garbage, residues or discarded material. Plural is Abfälle. Note declension: der Abfall (nom. sing.), die Abfälle (nom. pl.). Not a verb; no special preposition. Can be used in compounds (Hausmüll, Bioabfall) in everyday language.
Examples
Der Abfall wurde gestern abgeholt.
The trash was picked up yesterday.
Bitte trenne deinen Abfall in Papier und Plastik.
Please separate your waste into paper and plastic.
Werfen Sie den Bioabfall bitte nicht in den normalen Müll.
Please do not throw organic waste into the regular trash.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a bin overflowing with leftover food and packaging labeled 'Abfall'.
Sounds a bit like English 'offal' — both relate to discard/leftover (but different meaning).
Der Abfall — 'der' as in other masculine everyday nouns like 'der Müll'.
Notes
Very common everyday word for garbage; often used interchangeably with 'Müll' though 'Abfall' is slightly more formal/collective.