The city council group “Freie Wähler” and the voter group “FÜR Karlsruhe” have published an open letter to Lord Mayor Dr. Mentrup and Mayoress Lisbach expressing their deep concern about the ongoing problems in connection with the disposal of recyclable materials in Karlsruhe.
The city council groups demand a public apology from the city administration for the inconvenience and errors that have arisen, as well as a transparent review of the situation.
Mayor Lisbach, who is responsible for the city’s waste management, has not yet commented in detail on the Karlsruhe waste crisis – neither in the press nor in the municipal council that elected her.
In a comprehensive inquiry to the city administration, specific questions are asked about various aspects of the recycling garbage can disaster, including the city administration’s prior knowledge, the tendering process by Landbell, the fairness of the full service fee, occupational health and safety and the competitiveness of the Sauberes Karlsruhe team, as well as possible legal consequences.
The group emphasizes the need for a transparent and open review of the problem involving all relevant stakeholders.
You can find the entire open letter with the questions to the city administration here:
Open letter
Dealing with the recycling garbage can disaster: taking responsibility
April 17, 2024
Dear Lord Mayor Dr. Mentrup,
Dear Mayoress Lisbach,
On behalf of our city council group, we are writing this open letter to you to express our deep concern about the ongoing problems relating to the disposal of recyclable materials in Karlsruhe.
The situation has not only led to considerable inconvenience for the citizens of our city, but has also seriously undermined confidence in the effectiveness and transparency of our city administration.
We are aware that the challenges associated with the changeover in the disposal of recyclable materials are complex.
However, the lack of communication and the absence of a public apology or admission of mistakes on the part of the city administration, especially from you, Dr. Mentrup, and Ms. Lisbach, has led to increased frustration and anger among the population.
We therefore call on you to take responsibility and apologize publicly for the inconvenience and mistakes that have been made.
Such an admission would be an important first step towards restoring lost trust and demonstrating that the city administration is prepared to learn from the mistakes it has made and to work constructively on solutions.
In addition, we request answers to the following open questions, which we are submitting to the city administration as part of an inquiry:
Prior knowledge of the city administration
- To what extent was the city administration, in particular Mayor Bettina Lisbach and Team Sauberes Karlsruhe (TSK), aware of the potential problems in connection with the awarding of the disposal of recycling garbage cans to K+G?
- Were Mayor Bettina Lisbach’s department and Team Sauberes Karlsruhe (TSK) informed by the Bürgerinitiative Müll und Umwelt e.V. about the shortcomings of the full service before the tender?
- What measures were taken in advance to prevent or mitigate the problems mentioned with regard to the municipal statutes and the full service?
Tender by the company
Landbell
- What criteria were taken into account for the full service?
- Why was the Bürgerinitiative Müll und Umwelt e.V. and possibly other interested parties denied access to the tender documents?
- Will the city administration make the relevant documents publicly accessible in order to increase the transparency of the award process?
Fair charges for full service
- How does the city council intend to tackle the problem of around 6,000 buildings paying for a full service that they do not actually receive?
- How does the city council intend to deal with households that have had to pay for the full service for years but are unable to take advantage of it due to their structural circumstances?
- What solutions are being considered to ensure that fees are charged fairly?
- To what extent will the fees for Karlsruhe households increase in the future?
Occupational safety and competitiveness of Team Sauberes Karlsruhe
- The staff representatives of Team Sauberes Karlsruhe pointed out in a letter that they had been urged by the city administration to empty recycling garbage cans outside of the statutory requirements without charging a fee.
At K+G, reference is made to occupational health and safety, which is why charges are levied for such emptying.
Who was responsible for this decision at Team Sauberes Karlsruhe not to adhere to the statutes and to ignore occupational health and safety? - What is the position of the City of Karlsruhe’s occupational health and safety department on the allegations published by the staff representatives?
Has occupational health and safety also commented on the issue in the past and in what context? - In Freiburg, the city’s own waste management company disposes of the recyclables. Is that why Team Sauberes Karlsruhe was not competitive, because they had not implemented their own statutes and did not charge any fees?
Legal consequences
- What legal consequences could the City of Karlsruhe face with regard to the award of the contract to K+G, the special emptying by Team Sauberes Karlsruhe and the additional payments to K+G negotiated to date?
Communication and information policy
- How does the city administration plan to improve communication and information policy regarding the disposal of recycling garbage cans and the associated services in order to avoid misunderstandings and resentment in future?
- What concrete steps and measures is the city administration planning to take to resolve the current situation and prevent similar problems in the future?
We emphasize the need for a transparent and open approach to the problem, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including the Bürgerinitiative Müll und Umwelt e.V. (Waste and Environment Citizens’ Initiative). Only through an inclusive and transparent process can we find solutions together that are in the best interests of all citizens of our city.
We await your prompt response and look forward to working together constructively to overcome the current challenges.
Yours sincerely,
Friedemann Kalmbach Jürgen Wenzel Petra Lorenz
Group Chairman Deputy Group Chairman City Councillor
Group Chairman City Councillor
City council group Freie Wähler and FÜR Karlsruhe in the Karlsruhe municipal council
