Vienna's Waste Watcher on the road to success: punish punishments for garbage sinners!

Vienna's Waste Watcher on the road to success: punish punishments for garbage sinners!

Wien, Österreich - in Vienna is increasingly being used to combat waste offenses. The urban “waste watchers” are responsible for screaming on the garbage steels on the streets. In 2022, impressive 14,000 punishments were imposed, including 12,157 organ penalties and 1,290. In order to improve cleanliness in the capital, environmental city council announced Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ) on Wednesday. The legal framework for the Waste Watchers was also created in 2008 and enable urban employees to act against various offenses, such as thrown waste, cigarette buttocks or dog droppings.

In addition to their daily use, the waste watchers work closely with the police and the magistrate directorate. In 2023, 150 special focus campaigns to monitor waste behavior were already carried out, while a special focus on the problem of bulky waste is to be placed for 2024. The ads in this context could even be increased by 790 percent.

measures and punishments

The city has set itself the goal of increasing the number of full-time waste watchers from 40 to 50. These new employees are used in the municipal garbage and waste disposal (MA 48). Around 600 part-time waste watchers are also active and entitled to pronounce punishments. Detailed garbage sinners must expect punishments of at least 50 euros; In more serious cases, the fines can even be up to 2,000 euros.

The fines taken in 2022 flow directly into the city's cleanliness measures. Their commitment has been particularly important since the waste watchers in Hagen discovered a brazen garbage siner at the weekend that had unloaded illegal bulky waste. Through targeted patrols and testimonies, the urban employees were able to quickly identify the cause and remove the garbage immediately.

waste avoidance in focus

The context of waste prevention is much more comprehensive than it appears at first glance. According to the Environmental Federal Agency , the waste policy goal is to protect resources and the environment by promoting the circular economy. The aim is to decouple the economic growth from waste production. This can be achieved, among other things, by reducing the amount of waste and the harmful effects of waste.

The first nationwide waste avoidance program was decided in 2013 and provides for close cooperation between the various actors along the value chain. The annual European week of waste prevention, which is coordinated by the Association of Local Company, also shows that the exchange of ideas and measures is crucial for sustainable waste policy. These measures, together with the constant information by the Waste Watchers, should help strengthen awareness of clean and environmentally friendly behaviors in society.