Leaves on the streets: Who ensures cleanliness in the north?

Leaves on the streets: Who ensures cleanliness in the north?

In the last few weeks, leaf removal and street cleaning in northern Germany have again received particular attention. The Schleswig-Holstein State Road Construction and Transport Agency (LBV.SH) already keeps an impressive 7,630 kilometers of roads and 4,360 kilometers of cycle paths clear of leaves. This important task is not only important for the aesthetics of the surrounding area, but also plays a central role in the safety of all road users, especially cyclists. As schleswig-holstein.de reports, the responsible road construction authorities, including the federal government, state and districts such as North Frisia and Plön, responsible for regular sweeping work.

But how does this cleaning work exactly? Within local thoroughfares, responsibility lies with the municipalities, while outside of these there is no legal obligation to clean. The streets and cycle paths are swept as needed, with the broom often mounted on motor equipment carriers or small tractors. Leaves that cannot be collected in the peripheral areas are carefully transported by truck to special storage areas. Sweeping is a defined task and is carried out in a prioritized order that depends on the danger of the cycle path, for example on the way to school.

The Clean City: A Community Effort

Street cleaning not only serves to clear leaves, but also to keep it generally clean and to ensure traffic and accessibility. Historically, effective cleaning by sweepers was introduced as early as the 19th century to reduce costs for city governments. In large cities, several thousand tons of rubbish are generated every year, caused by dust, improper waste and natural leaf fall, as explained on wikipedia.org. Weather conditions such as snow or animal remains must also be taken into account when cleaning.

In addition to the challenges that sweepers must overcome, streets are divided into different cleaning classes. This classification is based on traffic volume, type of road and reasons for pollution. While water is often used to bind dust during cleaning, innovative methods such as full wet cleaning in cities such as Paris have shown how the cleaning system can be optimized. Not only is water from the Seine used to clean streets, but a separate network has also been set up to remove coarse waste, an approach that does not yet exist in German cities.

Legal framework and residents' obligations

In the German legal system, residents are obliged to clean the streets adjacent to their property themselves. If the municipality does not fulfill its cleaning obligation, residents have the opportunity to reclaim fees, as confirmed by a ruling by the Münster Higher Administrative Court. In addition, many municipalities charge fees for street cleaning, which vary depending on the front length of the property and the respective cleaning class, as can also be read according to wikipedia.de.

Leaf removal and street cleaning are therefore more than just annoying chores. They make a lasting contribution to road safety and increase the quality of life in our cities and communities. Thanks to the extensive efforts of everyone involved, northern Germany remains not only beautiful, but also safe on the roads and cycle paths.