Berlin/Leverkusen (dpa/lnw) – According to a study, the garbage fees are particularly high in many large cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. 16 of the 20 most expensive cities nationwide are in the west, as determined by the German Economic Institute for the Haus und Grund owners’ association. It is most expensive nationwide in Leverkusen – followed in North Rhine-Westphalia by Bergisch Gladbach and Lünen. Citizens in Essen, Bonn and Bottrop can dispose of their waste comparatively cheaply.
On a nationwide average, the waste disposal fees in the 100 largest German cities have risen by eight percent to 312 euros since the last study three years ago, the association announced on Tuesday.
When comparing the cities, there are no fundamental patterns such as the number of inhabitants, population density or budgetary situation as reasons for high or low waste fees, said Association President Kai Warnecke. “In the end, it’s down to individual circumstances such as wrongly dimensioned waste incineration plants, less efficient services or a lack of more ambitious policies that drive up the waste fees.” He demanded: “Every city must do its homework properly so that the additional costs remain affordable for the people.”
The basis for the comparison is a model family of two adults and two children in a single-family house without their own compost. Differences in the offer – for example in the pick-up rhythm – were included in an index together with the price in order to make the cities comparable. The association of municipal companies, which represents the public waste disposal companies in Germany, doubted the meaningfulness of the study. The conditions for waste disposal and the services offered by the municipalities are so different from city to city that a general comparison does not make sense.
