Monitoring container terminals via video surveillance: the city of Sulzbach joins the Land model initiative
The Saarland State Parliament made a significant decision in July 2024, commissioning the state government to create a legal basis for video surveillance at recycling islands. This move aims to combat illegal dumping more effectively at collection points in the future.
Following this decision, individual pilot projects were to be implemented in municipalities. One such municipality, Sulzbach, received a request for a statement on the current bill on May 8, 2025. The city administration then applied to the Ministry for Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (MUKMAV).
In a council meeting on July 23, 2024, the city of Sulzbach decided to participate in a model project for video surveillance of container sites, initiated by the state of Saarland. The planned regulation is initially limited to five years.
The goal of this project is to prevent illegal dumping at collection points more effectively. To achieve this, the Saarland Waste Management Act (SAWG) is proposed to be supplemented by ยง 42a, which allows local police authorities to video-surveil container sites.
However, there has been no clear legal basis for the collection and processing of such image data, especially for data protection reasons. The city administration has carefully examined the draft and listed possible practical challenges in implementation in an internal note.
In a surprising turn of events, the ministry announced in November 2024 that the formal legislative procedure for amending the SAWG would be delayed due to planned internal and external consultations. The effectiveness and efficiency of the measure will be evaluated during this time.
Only if there is a clear benefit will the regulation be permanently integrated into the law. The ministry responsible for implementing the pilot project for video surveillance of waste container sites in Sulzbach is not explicitly mentioned in the search results. However, such projects are typically managed by the local municipal authority or the respective department for public order or environmental services.
The final statement is to be submitted to the ministry based on this by June 4, 2025. The city of Sulzbach plans to participate in the model project, with the aim of creating a safer and cleaner environment for its residents.
