Mountains of garbage in Lankow: City fights against growing flood of waste!

Mountains of garbage in Lankow: City fights against growing flood of waste!

A veritable mountain of rubbish is piling up on Edgar-Bennert-Straße in Lankow. Old sofas, broken furniture, mattresses and boxes pile up as the wind blows plastic sheets across the sidewalk and leaves collect in the corners. This is not the first time that residents have been confronted with such images. The problem is well known: bulky waste and household waste always find their way onto public paths or in front of house entrances. These unpleasant mountains of garbage are increasingly becoming a challenge for the city administration and residents.

Elke Staudle, who regularly reports mountains of garbage, has noticed that collection by the city often takes several days. What is frightening is that new piles of rubbish quickly appear after collection. The Schwerin waste disposal and street cleaning company (SAS) is responsible for disposal, but cannot provide an average processing time for reports. The SAS also confirms an increase in illegal dumping, particularly in Neu Zippendorf and Lankow, which points to systematic problems in waste management.

A deep-rooted problem

This issue not only has local dimensions, but is also a nationwide problem in Germany. Approximately 325 to 350 million tons of waste are generated every year, making waste management a central issue in society. In Germany, the disposal of waste is regulated by the Circular Economy Act (KrWG) and also includes the areas of prevention, recycling and disposal. The statistics on plastic waste, which makes up a significant part of the total waste generation, are illustrative here. Information on this is also provided by the Federal Statistical Office, which regularly publishes data on waste management, including the amount of plastic waste destatis.de.

Illegal disposal, also known as “wild garbage”, is an administrative offense and can be punished with fines. Anyone caught dumping will also have to pay the costs of disposal. These fines vary depending on the federal state and can be up to 50,000 euros. In North Rhine-Westphalia, where the city of Cologne is also located, polluters face fines of between 10 and 25 euros for household waste and up to 150 euros for bulky waste bussgeldkatalog.org.

The role of citizens

The city of Schwerin therefore also relies on the help of its citizens. They should report unauthorized dumping to the waste authority in order to help the city get the situation under control. It is important to provide information about the location, the type and quantity of waste, and potentially identifiable polluters. Nevertheless, Elke Staudle's skepticism remains noticeable: "The measures don't seem to help when I keep seeing the same mountains of garbage."

The issue of waste disposal and the responsibility of each individual is therefore very important. While statistics and laws provide a framework, it is also up to the community and each individual to actively work towards a clean environment. Only together can the challenge be overcome, not just in Schwerin, but everywhere in Germany.