Since the beginning of the year, waste collection and disposal in Karlsruhe has been the responsibility of the company “Knettenbrech + Gurdulic” (K+G).
However, outsourcing to a private provider has so far caused more problems than the hoped-for relief.
In particular, recycling garbage cans that were more than 15 meters away from the refuse collection vehicle were often not emptied – a situation that is in line with the municipal guidelines, which stipulate a collection radius of 15 meters.
The Clean Karlsruhe team had provided a full service and also emptied garbage cans outside the collection radius, although this contradicted their own guidelines.
“Knettenbrech + Gurdulic” (K+G) adheres to the municipal bylaws, which causes confusion and resentment among many citizens.
City Councillor Friedemann Kalmbach (FÜR Karlsruhe) blames the poorly negotiated contract with “Knettenbrech + Gurdulic” for the waste disaster: “We as a city have failed here. Our Clean Karlsruhe team did not adhere to our own specifications and served every location with a waste garbage can. Now we are surprised that a private operator is strictly adhering to our bylaws and not disposing of the waste if it is too far away according to our rules.”
The local council has now taken measures to counteract the waste disaster. An additional payment of one million euros to “Knettenbrech + Gurdulic” (K+G) is intended to restore the full service.
“This means a fee increase for many citizens – regardless of whether the recycling garbage can is collected or not. Because there is still no solution for 6,000 locations. That is why our city council groups did not agree to the city administration’s proposal,” said city councillor Petra Lorenz (Freie Wähler)
