Illegal waste: fines to be increased significantly

Simply placed on the street - higher fines will soon apply in Berlin for illegal waste disposal.

Simply throwing away a cigarette butt or secretly leaving an old sofa on the street at night will be expensive in Berlin in future. The fines will increase considerably.

For illegal disposal of bulky waste, 4,000 euros will be charged instead of the previous 150 euros, and for larger quantities even 8,000 euros (instead of the previous 500 euros). Throwing a cigarette butt on the ground will cost 250 euros instead of the previous 55 euros. It is not yet clear when the new catalogue of fines will apply, as the responsible Senate Department for Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment announced in response to an enquiry.

Catalogue of fines to be expanded

The same minimum fine as for a discarded cigarette also applies to the discarding of plastic bags or disposable cups. In future, a fine of 80 instead of 55 euros will be imposed for not removing dog faeces. The state parliament passed the corresponding stricter penalties on Thursday. The catalogue of fines is also to be extended. Illegal disposal of building rubble, for example, is to be punishable by fines of 25,000 euros for quantities of up to 100 kilograms. For larger quantities or hazardous materials such as asbestos, the sums can be significantly higher.

Tougher approach to illegal waste disposal

The black-red coalition had long intended to take stricter action against illegal waste disposal. The CDU and SPD tabled a motion to this effect at the end of last year. "The illegal dumping of rubbish, debris and hazardous materials has steadily increased," it says. Disposal by the state of Berlin is time-consuming and expensive. "Low fines and a low risk of prosecution as well as low pressure to prosecute favour illegal disposal."