The carelessly flicked cigarette butt, the "accidentally" left to-go coffee cup or the spit-out chewing gum are still considered a trivial offense by many - someone will take care of the litter. In fact, Stadtservice employees are out and about in the streets every day, sweeping streets, paths and parks and ensuring cleanliness and a tidy cityscape. They are joined by the two "cleaners" Thomas Albrecht and Harald Klein, who are out and about in the city center every day, cleaning up what people "lose along the way". They pick up litter, report bulky waste to the office and have been important players in the public order office's fight against litter since 1998. "However, the hard-working hands can't be everywhere every day and their work sometimes borders on a Sisyphean task," says Daniel Krüger, Head of the Cleanliness and Order Department at the Office for Small Waste Control. "Because half an hour later, there is often garbage lying around and disrupting the cityscape."
This is particularly annoying in central locations such as the market square. It is heavily frequented, with people coming from the S-Bahn, getting into cabs, waiting for buses or out shopping. "With its function and location, the market square is the city's calling card, which is why our litter investigators and the city police have been working together more frequently there and in the surrounding streets since last year, sometimes in civilian clothes, sometimes in uniform," explains Frank Weber, head of the public order office. The balance sheet that has now been presented shows that the personnel effort is worthwhile: the fines collected last year amounted to the impressive sum of around 6,000 euros, which had to be paid by "the unteachable", Weber continues, "who were caught in the act and asked to pay immediately." For small items of waste, also known as littering, spitting chewing gum or snorting butts, a fine of 75 euros plus fees, i.e. around 104 euros, was due in each case. 58 cases were punished with a fine in 2024.
"Offenbach is not alone with its cleanliness problem. Wherever many people live and come together, local authorities are looking for ways to prevent waste from being dumped in the first place and to raise awareness among polluters. Because one thing is clear: anyone who carelessly throws litter away, flicks cigarettes or spits out chewing gum not only has an impact on the quality of life of others with their behavior," says Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Public Order, "but also disfigures the city and landscape. Unfortunately, for some citizens, the only way to understand this is through their wallets. That is why we cannot avoid fines until further notice. From this year onwards, we will be using the discretionary powers given to us by the catalog of warnings and fines adopted in 2021 and asking people to pay 90 euros."