Green waste in Hemelingen: New solutions for closed stations!

Green waste in Hemelingen: New solutions for closed stations!

in Hemelingen, Bremen, the recycling stations are faced with a change! If you want to get rid of your garden waste, you currently have two options: the station in Bennigsenstrasse or that in Hemelinger Hafendamm. But this year many citizens experienced an unpleasant surprise - the gates were often closed! Thomas Wemhoff from Bremen City Cleaning (DBS) was concerned about the situation: "Of course we are not happy about the situation in summer." The closures were due to lack of staff and illnesses, which significantly restricted the opening times.

The reasons for the closures are alarming: a high sick leave and ongoing collective bargaining between the Verdi union and the municipalities mean that vacant positions cannot be filled. "We had to see how we could ensure the company elsewhere," said Wemhoff. The decision to close the station in Hemelinger Hafendamm was to keep the station open in Hastedt. Security reasons required a certain number of employees on the site, which further complicated the situation.

Hope for improvement!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel! Two new employees for the assumption of pollutants were hired in Hastedt, which relaxes the situation a bit. Wemhoff is optimistic: "We were better off in October and November, but we are not yet where we want to go." He hopes for a sooner conclusion of the collective bargaining to fill the vacancies in the recycling centers.

In addition, the DBS thinks about innovative solutions how waste disposal could be organized in the future. Ideas such as a digital access solution without staff are in the room. Kerstin Biegemann from the Greens and Jens Dennhardt from the SPD also advocate a special “green waste day” to increase civil friendliness. While collection campaigns for green waste are already taking place in other regions, the question remains open how Bremen can follow up here. Thomas Wemhoff promised to check the suggestions and assured that the station in Hemelinger Hafendamm is not closed!