Garbage hotspot in Cologne: Residents demand cameras to prevent wild deposits

Garbage hotspot in Cologne: Residents demand cameras to prevent wild deposits

In the beautiful cathedral city of Cologne there are always the same painful topics: One of these hotspots is undoubtedly the unpopular garbage dump at the Pulvermühle, on the corner of Emser Straße in Humboldt-Gremberg. Again Express According to reports, a frustrated resident keeps sending photos to document the precarious situation. Strangers have their garbage dumped here as if it were a law of nature - and the consequences are anything but pleasant.

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, at 4:48 p.m., the first photo was taken showing the grotesque accumulation of waste. Just one day later, on Monday morning, the AWB took care of removing the garbage. But no sooner had the work been done than on Monday evening, at 7:22 p.m., things looked completely different again: the area was filled with rubbish again. The resident's frustration is understandable, after all, the same game is played here over and over again. His suggestion? Install cameras to stop unwanted littering. However, the AWB has already rejected such measures in the past for data protection reasons.

Littering: A constant companion

But the unpleasant situation at the powder mill is not the only example of littering in Cologne. The city and the waste management companies (AWB) are trying to counteract this through a comprehensive information campaign. The aim is to educate Cologne citizens about the negative effects of carelessly throwing rubbish and to awaken their sense of responsibility. Littering, the throwing away of waste such as cigarette butts, pizza boxes or beverage cans, puts a lot of strain on our environment - a discarded cigarette can potentially contaminate more than 40 liters of water!

As the city of Cologne reports on its website, the costs for clearing up wild garbage now reach the impressive sum of 13 million euros per year - and the trend is rising. Reports of wild dumping have almost doubled since 2017 and are now almost 20,000 per year. In addition to the financial aspects, it is also about the well-being and cleanliness of Cologne's green spaces, where the AWB's special "barbecue scouts" try to raise awareness and distribute garbage bags on summer weekends.

A way forward?

There are around 23,000 wastebaskets available in Cologne, of which almost 9,000 are equipped with ashtrays in the green areas. There is also a free bulky waste service for larger waste, which must be registered with the AWB. The city hopes that these measures will raise awareness of the waste problem and make citizens rethink their behavior.

It remains to be seen whether the AWB campaign and the initiative against littering, which is supported by the active commitment of over 100,000 volunteers at “Kölle putzmunter”, will still deliver fruitful results. The question is how long the city can continue to fight against this - and whether it is time to take more drastic measures. In the meantime, the residents of the powder mill are subjected to an endless test of patience.