Schnoor under pressure: Cleanliness problem causes excitement!

Schnoor under pressure: Cleanliness problem causes excitement!

in the heart of Bremen, in the picturesque district of Schnoor, the call for more cleanliness becomes louder. The tax consultant Maik Wernecke has spoken in a recent call and criticizes the insufficient cleanliness of this popular tourist mile. "There are no trash cans in the alley, and cleaning is sporadically," says Wernecke. He has never seen anyone who was traveling with a cleaning machine this year. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Ottjen-Alldag fountain, a popular meeting place for a long time, has not seen any water this year.

The difficulties to open the main tap in the building explains Fabio Cecere from Immobilien Bremen (IB). "It is a challenge to make an appointment," said Cecere. But that ensures little understanding among residents and business owners. Marie Sophie von Stetten, spokeswoman for a company based in the building, criticizes the poor communication of IB. In an act of personal responsibility, tenants took the brush themselves and cleaned the fountain because IB does not take responsibility.

The official website of the city cleaning

The Bremen city cleaning (DBS) holds against it and asserts that there are no failures in the cleaning services. The cleaning is "as needed". In addition, the DBS points out that the residents are obliged to clean the sidewalks and edge strips according to the Bremen State Rates Act. As for the number of waste containers, however, it looks bleak: "In Schnoor-Gasse there is simply no public trash cans," says Wernecke. The closest people can be found in the adjacent streets.

According to the Bremen city cleaning, the employees remove around 150 illegal garbage deposits every week, and almost 4,000 public waste containers are regularly emptied. So it seems that the city is missing a good knack in the control of the large areas, even if they are in use with dozens of vehicles. The obligations for property owners for cleaning are clearly outlined: sidewalks and adjacent surfaces must be kept deciduous, and cleaning must be carried out on weekdays between 07:00 and 8:30 p.m.

A look at the cleanliness in Bremen

A survey by T-Online for cleanliness in German cities shows that Bremen performs in midfield. Only 1.8 % of the more than 25,000 participants described Bremen as the dirty city. However, Berlin's pollution occupies the top position, with 44.9 % of the vote. Bremen himself has started an active program with the "Mission Orange" since 2021 to move the citizens to the volunteer garbage collection, with over 14,000 helpers participating in March 2023.

"The Schnoor only receives attention when it comes to external pressure", from Stetten gets the situation in a nutshell. The annoyance of the fountain and the shortage of city cleaning seems to have a structural core, it requires more than just words to promote cleanliness. It remains to be seen whether it ensures an improvement on this historically shaped tourist mile.