Disposing of wild waste is increasingly taking its toll on German municipalities
To ensure that the removal of wild waste deposits is effective, the first step should be to clarify responsibilities with all the agencies involved at a round table.
Last month, we wanted to know how German municipalities perceive and deal with the disposal of litter. Our questions about littering were answered by 91 people. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (72 percent) said that littering in their community has increased greatly to very greatly over the past five years. The answers differed only marginally with regard to the size of the municipality.
Container sites are most often used for illegal waste disposal in smaller localities
Bulky waste is disposed of most frequently, followed by residual waste, construction waste and old electrical appliances. In large cities, roadsides and roadsides would be the most used for illegal waste disposal. In second place were equally named container yards, industrial areas and natural areas. In small and larger communities with up to 500,000 registered residents, respondents cited container sites as by far the most common location for littering. However, slightly more than half of the respondents (53 percent) did not observe overfilled deposit containers or underground systems as a reason for improper disposal of waste in their own municipality. It is interesting to note that only one in five of those surveyed felt that the cleaning of the stands was poor or insufficient. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said that their own municipality actively tackles litter.
Whether some citizens choose the path of illegal waste disposal out of convenience or due to financial motives – we can only speculate at this point about the motives why more and more trash is being carelessly thrown away. Although one or two voices from the survey now perceive the cleaning of littered sites as problematic in that it causes polluters to perceive improper littering as a regular disposal method, the goal of a clean cityscape for municipalities remains. Based on the responses of the respondents, we venture an attempt to look at the illegal dumping of trash in public areas from a solution-oriented perspective.
The question of jurisdiction too often remains unanswered
According to the survey results, there are two key difficulties in removing litter piles: the issue of responsibility and lack of personnel. Whether the municipal waste disposal company, the street cleaning service, the building authority, the municipality itself or another body removes the wild waste deposits ultimately depends on the location of the pollution. Some survey participants report that cooperation between all parties involved is working well, but that there is a lack of sufficient personnel, particularly in tracing those responsible for littering. Other people feel that there is room for improvement in cooperation and communication between the relevant agencies in order to make the removal of illegal waste more efficient. A straightforward universal path that all stakeholders support is still lacking, according to one voice in the survey.
Effective measures to reduce litter are often good in theory, but difficult to implement in practice
Monitoring relevant areas and initiating fines and criminal proceedings are considered by survey participants to be the most effective in discouraging illegal dumping by polluters. However, some of the interviewees noted that surveillance by camera is extremely difficult to implement for data protection reasons and that some municipalities lack the financial resources for personal surveillance. With regard to the initiation of legal proceedings, the survey participants stated that the local authorities see little chance of success here because of the burden of proof on the part of the cities and, as a result, are sometimes only moderately concerned about prosecuting the perpetrators. As long as the perpetrators are not caught in the act and asked to pay, the learning effect is ultimately absent.
Application software for reporting litter and clean-up campaigns are also considered by the respondents to be effective methods with regard to the removal of illegally disposed litter. The active involvement of citizens can usefully support the responsible agencies in their elimination work and give the problem a broader scope. The respondents attribute a medium to low impact to public relations work and environmental education programs. However, even though the measures mentioned above will most likely not reach the polluters in the end: Any kind of public relations work and environmental education raises awareness in society about litter. One interviewee also pointed out the cultural diversity in our country and possible difficulties in understanding based on this. It could therefore also make sense to provide information material such as flyers or notices in several languages in the long term.
Whether small or large city: a working group structures action against littering
In brief: German municipalities have different human and financial resources with regard to the problem of wild waste dumping. Accordingly, the approach against litter varies. Apart from that, it became clear through the survey that in those cities where effective action is taken against improper waste disposal, there was all-round cooperation and each agency knew and perceived its area of responsibility. Consequently, regardless of the size of the municipality, the creation of a working group on litter could be promising. If responsibilities are clearly clarified with all parties involved and cooperation among them is established as a first step, disposal work can take place more efficiently. In a regular exchange between all responsible persons, measures regarding the tracing back to the polluters as well as public relations and environmental education could also be discussed. Cleanliness is and remains teamwork.
Staying in touch with colleagues
How a working group can be set up and put to good use can be discussed with colleagues from companies throughout Germany in the ‘Urban cleanliness and winter services’ topic network group. For ideas on environmental education measures regarding litter, a professional exchange in the thematic network group ‘Environmental Communication and Waste Advice’ is a good idea.
