In the heart of Berlin, a green menace lurks, creeping along sidewalks and overwhelming the senses: the city is overgrown! As leafy invaders stretch their leafy limbs skyward, they obscure the view of motorists and pedestrians alike, while simultaneously playing host to discarded trash that clings to their verdant embrace. At the bustling intersection of Witzleben and Kantstraße, dedicated caretaker Detlef Bastian has championed the cause of visibility and tidiness, repeatedly pleading for assistance from the Berlin waste management, BSR. With an exasperated tone, the 74-year-old Charlottenburger lamented, “The weeds have shot up to a staggering 1.5 meters – a real hazard for those navigating the streets!” And so the saga of unchecked growth continues, a true jungle of weeds enveloping the city. Responsible for taming this wild expanse, the BSR has adopted an eco-friendly approach, avoiding chemical herbicides in favor of mechanical options such as mowing and weed-whacking. Yet, here lies the rub: there are no clear guidelines dictating how often these measures must be employed, how high the green warriors must grow, or what species are permitted to proliferate. Thus, the relentless advance of stinging nettles and opportunistic goosefoot sprouts with wild abandon, finding homes not only between tiles but also among the tree wells lining the streets. In a tangled web of bureaucracy, the BSR defers responsibility for the unruly greenery fading into the shadows of the district’s park offices—despite the cities’ concerns over the trees’ competition for resources. Take, for instance, Gisela Abel, a spirited 64-year-old from Pankow, who frequently liberates these weed-clad mounds from their invasive grip. Recently, her efforts were thwarted by a BSR worker who instructed her that such greenery should not find refuge in the recycling bin, but rather the dedicated biowaste containers. “So, we’re meant to let it all compost together?” she might have wondered, perplexed by the whims of the waste management system. However, hope glimmered on the horizon as the BSR’s press office revealed that small litter could indeed be tossed into street-side trash cans—allowing even the tiniest wildflowers, freshly plucked by well-meaning citizens, to find a final resting place, contributing to a cleaner urban landscape!
Original Source: www.bz-berlin.de
