Berlin to raise fines for illegal rubbish dumping from 500 to 11.000 euros

Authorities in Berlin are set to raise fines for illegally dumping bulk rubbish from 500 to 11.000 euros. There will also be a fine for leaving out “zu verschenken” boxes.

Berliners face higher fines for dumping rubbish

Fly-tipping is so common in Berlin that in 2023, it cost the city 10 million euros to tidy up illegally dumped sofas, kitchen cabinets and mattresses. To deter fly-tippers, authorities have decided to significantly increase fines for illegally dumping bulk waste.

According to the city’s updated fine catalogue, anyone caught fly-tipping will face fines of between 1.500 and 11.000 euros, depending on the amount of bulk waste they are caught dumping on the street or in parks and forests. Anyone caught dumping bulk waste containing dangerous chemicals now faces a 15.000-euro fine.

The city is also raising fines for specific items which are often dumped. Fines for littering cigarette butts will increase from 55 to 250 euros, and dog poo from 55 euros to between 150 and 350 euros. Anyone caught dumping old tyres will face a fine of 700 euros per tyre, and those attempting to leave their old mattress by the side of the road will face a fine of 100 euros.

Berlin’s rubbish collection service, BSR, runs 14 recycling points across the city’s 12 districts and collects bulk waste for a fee. For those who don’t want to drive their waste to the dump or pay the collection fee, BSR organises regular “Kieztage”, a specific day when locals can take their bulk waste to a specific street in their neighbourhood and hand over their rubbish to collectors.

Berliners face fines of up to 1.500 euros for leaving out “zu verschenken” box

Another update to Berlin’s catalogue of fines came for Berliners' penchant for passing on unwanted clothes, books and small household items for free. Under the new rules, anyone caught leaving a “zu verschenken” box on the street will face a fine of between 300 and 1.500 euros.

Berliners have instead been told to take their unwanted items to secondhand shops, namely BSR’s NochMall secondhand shop, or to one of the service’s recycling centres. The city has yet to clarify the date from which all new fines will apply.