Saarland relies on video surveillance: Stop illegal waste disposal!

Saarland relies on video surveillance: Stop illegal waste disposal!

The Saarland state parliament has passed a law on video surveillance of garbage containers in the first reading with the aim of counteracting the increasing illegal waste disposal. This reports Heise Online. Environment Minister Petra Berg (SPD) described the problem of illegal dumping as a social concern and sees the new regulation as an important step in combating vandalism and environmental pollution. The aim is to improve the quality of life in cities and communities.

A scientifically accompanying pilot project will put the use of video surveillance to the test. It should also be examined whether there are “displacement effects”, i.e. whether waste disposal companies switch to locations that are not under video surveillance. Important to know: The video recordings must be deleted after 72 hours at the latest if they are no longer needed to pursue the desired goal.

Everyday life in Saarland

Illegal waste dumping is not just a problem in Saarland. They also cause high costs for removal elsewhere. Loud Privacy Notices Cities and municipalities use various means to deal with the waste problem. This includes garbage detectives and defect reporting portals.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, data protection discussions have already been held about video surveillance of glass containers, although a corresponding plan failed in 2023 due to the veto of the state commissioner for data protection. There the operation was seen as a threat to the rights of innocent citizens. A year later, however, the city of Ludwigshafen agreed on a data protection-compliant approach to combat illegal waste dumping. The evaluation of this pilot project is still pending.

Experiences from other cities

An example from Garbsen near Hanover shows that real-time video surveillance has already been installed in a recycling collection point there to document regular cases of illegal waste disposal. Refrigerators, tires and even food were illegally dumped here. In this case, data protection reasons were overcome in favor of security, and the surveillance is controlled in real time by city employees. Garbage offenders are even addressed via loudspeakers. Similar measures are being planned in other municipalities in Lower Saxony.

Nevertheless, video surveillance is a sensitive issue. There are strict requirements and regulations, and many municipalities must demonstrate that more lenient means have been exhausted before they can resort to such measures. Data protection techniques such as personal identification and non-image recording must also be taken into account in order to protect citizens' private and social spheres.

In view of these developments in Saarland and beyond, it remains to be seen how the planned measures to combat illegal waste disposal will be implemented in practice and whether they will have the desired effect.