„Public space is not a rubbish bin.“ On Environment Day on 5 June 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia's Environment Minister Ursula Heinen-Esser used strong words to call on the state's municipalities to punish citizens more severely when they litter in the countryside. This is in line with the results of a survey published by the German Packaging Institute (dvi) on the same day.
„The often careless and inconsiderate Waste disposal is not a trivial offence,“ the NRW politician emphasised in a statement from her ministry. Every Plastic part, whether plastic bags, disposable cups or candy wrappers, which are disposed of incorrectly, end up in the environment, where they break down into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually become Microplastics.
NRW Ministry of the Environment proposes drastically higher fines
The NRW Ministry of the Environment has the so-called Catalogue of fines and warnings has been revised, according to the ministry. This recommends to the local authorities which offences should be punished with which sums. Especially for the careless throwing away of Cigarette butts or the disposal of a Coffee-to-go cup or one Burger packaging It is proposed that cities and municipalities should charge citizens more for roadside littering in future. Previously, the recommended fine was ten to 25 euros, but now 100 Euro fine recommended.
The NRW catalogue of fines lists even higher penalties. For example, anyone who dumps used oil, paint or building rubble in the countryside will be fined up to 50,000 euros.
dvi survey shows approval for higher penalties
The NRW Ministry of the Environment appears to be acting in line with public opinion with the new catalogue of fines. This is indicated by a Survey published by the German Packaging Institute (dvi). In a survey conducted by tns-infratest, 82.1 per cent of a total of 1,051 respondents agreed that people who carelessly throw away packaging should be punished.
Although 27.2 per cent were of the opinion that social services should be preferred to a fine, and 18.8 per cent only wanted to see a „small fine“ imposed, there was a high level of support for heavy fines. 22.6 per cent wanted a Minimum fine of 250 euros, 13.5 per cent even from at least 1,000 euros. Only 6.2 per cent of respondents, on the other hand, see a Deposit solution rather than fines.
Association welcomes greater attentiveness from citizens
„In recent years, we have seen an increased awareness in dealing with the environment and its resources. The results of our latest survey fit the picture. We welcome this Mindfulness very much. Because only if the packaging ends up in the right collection containers after use can it be recycled and returned to the cycle as new packaging or in the form of another product. Recycling and Environmental protection belong together,“ commented dvi Managing Director Kim Cheng on the figures.
