Illegally dumped rubbish cost Berlin 10 million euros in 2023

The copious amounts of distressed Kallax shelves, lidless Tupperware boxes and worn Teflon frying pans that decorate Berlin’s streets cost the city around 10 million euros to clean up in 2023, according to a report by rbb.

Illegal rubbish dumping cost Berlin 10 million euros

According to figures reported by rbb, Berlin's rubbish collection service Berliner Stadt Reinigung (BSR) paid around 9,7 million euros to properly dispose of illegally dumped rubbish in 2023.

Adding the cost of disposing of dumped cars and rubbish in the rivers, canals and lakes of Berlin, which BSR is not officially responsible for, the city’s 2023 bill came to around 10 million euros.

Dumping most common in Mitte, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln

Of Berlin’s 12 districts, Mitte, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln see the biggest amount of illegal waste dumped on their streets, especially in the neighbourhoods’ green spaces.

According to the BSR, fly-tipping remains a problem in Berlin because it is so hard to identify who has dumped rubbish, with much of the illegal deposits being made under the cover of darkness.

In total, around 40.000 cubic metres of illegal waste were disposed of in Berlin in 2022, enough to fill around 2.000 large lorries.