Stuttgart-West in garbage chaos: residents fight for cleanliness!

Stuttgart-West in garbage chaos: residents fight for cleanliness!

Cleanliness in Stuttgart-West is an urgent problem that is increasingly concerning residents. Frank Gugenberger, an active citizen of the area, draws attention to the devastating garbage situation, which has worsened in recent years. According to Gugenberger, the district is heavily littered, which is reflected in the enormous amount of 3,700 tons of garbage that had to be removed from public spaces by Waste Management Stuttgart (AWS) in 2024. For comparison: only 1,600 tons of garbage ended up in waste baskets. For this reason, Gugenberger founded the citizens' initiative "Nice here! Or?" was founded, which now includes twelve active volunteers and aims to raise awareness of cleanliness in Stuttgart-West.

The initiative pays particular attention to Bismarckplatz, where Gugenberger plans to keep the area sparkling clean for a week. “We want to encourage people to be more conscious about their waste,” he explains. He sees the main reason for the existing waste situation in the population as a prevailing throwaway mentality and calls for a change in awareness regarding waste avoidance.

Measures to improve cleanliness

The city of Stuttgart has already had to react and installed new wastebaskets to give citizens the opportunity to dispose of their waste properly. At the same time, we encourage people to actually use them. In order to curb improper waste disposal, fines were introduced for carelessly throwing away waste such as glass bottles and cigarette butts. The fines range from 75 euros to 800 euros, depending on the severity of the offense.

In addition, the staff in the municipal enforcement service will be increased to ensure better control of the garbage situation. The goal is to take targeted measures against litter sinners and wild peeers in order to promote a clean Stuttgart. Gugenberger and his initiative not only hope for stricter controls from the city, but also for closer networking between citizens' initiatives, the city and AWS.

National waste prevention strategies

The problems in Stuttgart-West reflect larger challenges at the national level. A waste policy goal in Germany is to promote the circular economy to conserve natural resources and protect people and the environment. The Waste Prevention Program, adopted in 2013, provides for various measures to help reduce the amount of waste and minimize the harmful effects of waste on the environment and health. What is important is the collaboration of many actors along the value chain.

Another focus is on raising awareness and communication regarding the environmentally conscious use of resources. Events such as the European Waste Reduction Week provide platforms to coordinate actions to reduce waste and involve the population.

Given the massive waste problem in Stuttgart-West, it is clear that both local initiatives and urban and national strategies are needed to improve the quality of life in the city and meet the challenges of waste management. Gugenberger and his initiative are an example of how citizens can take action to bring about change and advocate for a clean environment.

For more information about cleanliness measures in Stuttgart, visit the Stuttgarter Nachrichten here, the city's official website here or the information from the Federal Environment Agency here.