One man's trash is another man's treasure and under a new scheme launched in Berlin on Wednesday, residents and visitors alike will be encouraged to collect rubbish in return for various rewards. Under the programme dubbed "BerlinPay", litter-picking is one of a range of activities which will be rewarded with benefits such as canoe tours, restaurant discounts and free museum tickets.
The pilot scheme will run from May 14 until June 14 and is heavily focused on the Spree river which runs through the German capital and on encouraging "sustainable water tourism". As well as the Spree, Berlin is ringed by a series of lakes and other waterways popular with visitors, particularly in the summer months.
"Water tourism in Berlin is booming and represents a significant economic factor, but it also leaves an impact," said one of the city's deputy mayors Franziska Giffey. "Through this initiative, we invite Berliners and their guests to experience Berlin in a more mindful way," Sabine Wendt, CEO of the city's tourist board, told a press conference on Wednesday.
To take part, participants can sign up on the visitBerlin platform and volunteer for activities from among some 5,000 options ranging from planting a flower or watering trees to cycling instead of travelling by car. Around 40 partner businesses, associations, and museums are taking part in the campaign by offering rewards in exchange for environmentally responsible actions.
Beyond helping preserve the Spree and Berlin's other bodies of water, the main idea is to raise awareness among tourists and residents about protecting the local environment. The scheme is directly inspired by the "CopenPay" program launched in Copenhagen in 2024.
There, 75,000 tourists took part during the first month of the trial. Bike rentals increased by 29 percent and tons of rubbish were collected. If the project proves successful in Berlin, Giffey says the city will make the initiative an annual event.
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