Garbage chaos in Gera: Residents complain about GUD disposal!

Garbage chaos in Gera: Residents complain about GUD disposal!

There is currently a heated debate about waste disposal in Thuringia, especially in the city of Gera. Citizens are increasingly frustrated with the services of the waste service provider GUD. According to Thüringen24, complaints about late emptying and inadequate cleaning of organic waste bins are increasing. The trouble doesn't stop there! Residents are increasingly turning to the Waste Management Association (AWV) in East Thuringia, but they can hardly keep up with the multitude of concerns.

AWV managing director Knut Fritzsche reports that between 400 and 500 complaints are received every month - a situation that is considered unacceptable in the industry. What is particularly striking is that GUD causes more disruptions than other waste disposal companies in the country. However, at the last association meeting it was decided not to terminate the contracts with GUD for the time being, even though they run until the end of 2028. GUD's parent company, Veolia, has taken note of the complaints and announced that it will improve services, but the population's patience is being tested.

Decentralized waste disposal in Thuringia

Waste disposal in Thuringia is organized decentrally, which means that each municipality has its own waste management concept, which is adapted to local conditions. The system in Thuringia includes, among other things, the collection of residual waste in gray bins, while organic waste is collected in organic bins and recycled in composting or biogas plants. Paper and cardboard go into blue bins for recycling, and packaging is disposed of via the yellow bag or yellow bin as part of the dual system. Glass is collected in color-separated containers, as Abfallguru notes.

Compared to western German federal states, Thuringia, which often has cheaper waste disposal fees, has attractive prices on average. However, depending on the district and city, these vary between 100 and 200 euros per year. For example, Gera pays 253.40 euros, while the fees in Erfurt are 276.73 euros and in Jena even 348.58 euros. However, challenges can also be seen here: the amount of packaging waste, especially plastic, is constantly growing.

Waste management tasks

In the Saale-Holzland district, waste management is managed as an independent company without its own legal personality. According to the Thuringian Waste Act (ThürAbfG), responsibility for this lies in the hands of the public institutions that are responsible for the proper disposal of waste. The main tasks include collecting, transporting, treating and recycling waste and are partly carried out by commissioned third parties. There are clear legal bases for this, as listed in the report by Saaleholzlandkreis. An important concern remains to further promote waste avoidance and the circular economy.

In summary, it can be seen that there is a lot of need for action in waste management in Thuringia. Citizens' concerns must be taken seriously in order to increase satisfaction with the waste disposal system. This will be a rocky road, but only continuous dialogue between residents, companies and the administration can improve the current situation.