That's how expensive it gets when you throw rubbish out of the car
Created: 05/03/2022, 16:08
By: Omer Kayali
Unfortunately, many drivers are very careless with their garbage.
© Imago
Many drivers simply throw their rubbish out of the vehicle.
This is not very harmful to the environment, it can also be very expensive.
The rubbish that is carelessly thrown away along German autobahns or federal highways is a nuisance in several respects.
Illegal disposal of cigarette butts, coffee mugs, snack packaging or beverage bottles pollute the environment.
This waste decomposes very slowly.
Cigarette butts, for example, take up to five years to decompose naturally.
Therefore, in the first place, it is a great harm to the environment.
But drivers also have to reckon with fines – for cigarette butts and all other rubbish that they throw out of the car window.
How long does it take for rubbish to rot
?
Waste | rotting time |
|---|---|
Handkerchief | four weeks |
paper bags | six weeks |
cigarette butt | up to five years |
plastic bags | several years |
Plastic bottles/drink cans | over 100 years |
Throwing rubbish out of the car: fines of up to 100,000 euros in some cases
It is not without reason that the penalties for throwing rubbish out of cars have been increased in
recent years
.
They vary from state to state.
The ADAC has listed an overview of the penalties.
It is particularly noticeable that fines of between 100 and 100,000 euros (!) are due in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Here is the list of all states:
Federal State | Fine for cigarette packs | Fine for glass bottles |
|---|---|---|
Baden-Wuerttemberg | 50 to 250 euros | 100 to 800 euros |
Bavaria | 20 Euros | 35 to 80 euros |
Berlin | 40 to 80 euros | 75 to 800 euros |
Brandenburg | 35 to 500 euros | 35 to 500 euros |
Bremen | 20 Euros | 20 to 250 euros |
Hamburg | 35 to 150 euros | 35 to 150 euros |
Hesse | 50 Euros | 50 Euros |
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | not specified | not specified |
Lower Saxony | 10 to 50 euros | 50 to 100 euros |
North Rhine-Westphalia | 100 to 100,000 euros | 100 to 100,000 euros |
Rhineland Palatinate | 50 to 250 euros | 100 to 800 euros |
Saarland | 10 to 100 euros | 25 to 150 euros |
Saxony | 10 to 40 euros | 25 to 200 euros |
Saxony-Anhalt | not specified | not specified |
Schleswig Holstein | not specified | not specified |
Thuringia | 5 to 30 euros | 20 to 200 euros |
Garbage is expensive for you and expensive for the environment
The disposal of this waste
causes enormous costs
.
According to a calculation by the TU Darmstadt from 2014, there are costs of 9,000 euros per kilometer of motorway.
Proper handling of garbage in the car
The ADAC has some
tips for dealing with the garbage
that accumulates when driving:
Use an automotive waste bin.
Store food and snacks in fresh storage boxes and use reusable packaging.
If the bins are already full, take your rubbish with you – either to the nearest bin or, if there is no other option, take it home.
Look for waste separation facilities at managed or unmanaged parking lots.
(Elfriede Munsch/SP-X/ok)