Berlin wants to go clean. With ‘rough and gritty’ falling out of fashion, the city has decided to get serious about tackling the litter problem. This year’s budget for the city’s cleaning company, Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (BSR), was increased to €173 million – up almost 14% from last year – and is set to go up further in 2027.
But that’s still not enough: trash continues to pile up around the city and volunteers are left with the grueling job of cleaning up their kiez while the BSR pours its funds into public campaigns, the effectiveness of which is subject to debate. All the while, waterways – among them the Spree – are flowing with trash. Now there’s a new idea to tackle that problem: tourists are to do the dirty work.
Modelled after the “CopenPay” scheme in Copenhagen in effect since 2024, in which tourists are rewarded with free admission to local attractions, guided tours and complimentary cocktails/coffee for picking up litter, the proposed “BerlinPay” scheme is to give tourists vouchers for fishing trash out of the city’s waterways.
Where exactly these vouchers will be able to be redeemed is still undecided, as the city is currently looking for institutions willing to participate in the scheme. Details are expected to be known before the Pentecost holiday, as that’s when the “BerlinPay” concept is to be presented. “We want to take a page from Copenhagen’s book when it comes to cleanliness,” Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs, SPD-member Franziska Giffey, said in an interview to BILD newspaper, who were the first to report on the proposed “BerlinPay” scheme.
The idea of free kayaking trips on the Spree, during which participants collect floating trash, has already been tried with the “Green Kayak” initiative. Perhaps offering extra perks will not only draw more volunteers willing to participate, but also encourage more tourists to come to the city – something Berlin is currently struggling with.
