In Berlin, they want to increase fines for items left on the street. As an alternative to the zu verschenken practice, the authorities propose bringing unwanted items to specialized recycling centers or second-hand shops. Local residents are against these changes and have already collected 10,000 signatures for a petition. This is reported by DW, according to UNN.
Details
Boxes with the inscription zu verschenken ("give away for free") are a common sight on the streets of German cities. In them, you can often find books, dishes, and other items that former owners want to share for free with others. But it doesn't always go smoothly: sometimes broken items or just trash remain on the streets for a long time. This is a problem for municipal services.
In Berlin alone, 54,000 cubic meters of illegally dumped waste were disposed of last year, which is 8% more than in 2023. The cleanup cost the city approximately 10.3 million euros.
It is noted that the Berlin Senate plans to combat this with increased fines.
For example, anyone who displays clothes or dishes in front of their house may in the future face a fine of 150 to 300 euros – currently it is 25 to 75 euros. Those who do not dispose of electrical appliances, such as refrigerators or washing machines, according to the rules, may in the future face a fine of up to 15,000 euros. Previously, the maximum fine for this was 5,000 euros.
It must be clear that leaving items on the street does not relieve the owner of responsibility for them on the principle: I gave it away, and now I'm rid of it.
As an alternative to zu verschenken, the authorities propose sending unwanted items to special recycling centers or the second-hand shop NochMall.
Critics call such measures short-sighted.
People who are afraid of getting a fine may now throw still usable items in the trash, because it is easier and more convenient than driving halfway across the city to hand them over to NochMall.
According to her, no distinction is made between real trash and valuable items that will be quickly picked up.
Berlin residents have initiated an online petition to abolish high fines - it has already collected 10,000 signatures.
Recall
Google DeepMind presented new Gemini Robotics 1.5 and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.5 models, which allow robots to perform multi-step tasks. Robots can sort laundry and recycle waste, as well as adapt to new conditions.