Vienna Shines – When We All Pitch In.

The Status Quo: Higher Fines Alone Are Not Enough

Vienna is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. However, a look at our sidewalks, parks, and stations often tells a different story. Carelessly discarded waste – above all cigarette butts – doesn't just harm the environment; it affects our well-being and the city's reputation.

Since April 2025, fines have been raised: a penalty notice now costs 70 instead of 50 euros, and up to 1,000 euros in severe cases. In the past year alone, over 14,000 fines were issued – the vast majority for cigarette butts. And yet the city stays dirty. This shows: it is not about the size of the fines. What is missing is a lasting presence on the ground, infrastructure, and prevention – exactly where role-model cities like Tokyo or Singapore focus.

From Pavement to Waterway: An Underestimated Problem

What ends up on the street doesn't stay on the street. Every time it rains, water washes cigarette butts and small waste through drains and manholes directly into the sewage system and our waterways. A single butt can contaminate many litres of water: cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate — a form of microplastic — and release nicotine as well as heavy metals. This is how street dirt ultimately ends up in the Danube Canal, rivers and groundwater, causing lasting harm to our water quality. Keeping streets clean is therefore also active waterway and environmental protection.

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Our Vision: Impact Instead of Ever-Higher Fines

We are not calling for even higher fines – those already exist since 2025. We are calling for the existing rules to finally work. That requires more WasteWatchers on the streets, better infrastructure – especially against cigarette butts – and fines that flow visibly back into the neighborhoods. Cleanliness should not be a wish, but a standard.

Our 4-Point Plan for a Clean Vienna:

1. 1
   Lasting Presence Instead of Higher Fines
   Vienna has around 650 WasteWatchers – but only about 50 of them full-time; the large rest only patrol on the side. We demand more permanent staff with a lasting focus in the neighborhoods: visible, approachable, and acting as ambassadors for cleanliness.
2. 2
   Better Infrastructure, Especially Against Cigarette Butts
   Over 90% of fines are for cigarette butts. We demand more and better ashtray bins city-wide, more frequent emptying, and free pocket ashtrays – so that disposing of waste properly is easier than throwing it away.
3. 3
   Transparency: Fines Flow Back into the Neighborhood
   Every euro from fines must flow transparently and visibly into local improvements – more flower beds, modern bins, and cleaner squares in the respective district.
4. 4
   Prevention & Communication That Reaches Everyone
   Cleanliness has to be taught – continuously instead of through one-off campaigns, and understandably for everyone who lives here or is a guest (ideally through clear images rather than text alone). Add playful incentives such as floor signs pointing to bins or voting ashtrays. That way, proper disposal becomes second nature.

WasteWatcher 2.0 – Our Reform Proposals

Since 2008, Vienna has had a strong tool for urban cleanliness with the WasteWatchers – around 650 people, the team was recently even expanded, and in 2025 fines were raised too. And yet the impact is not there. While metropolises like Singapore or Tokyo earned worldwide renown through constant prevention and visible presence, Vienna lacks exactly this lasting presence on the ground.

• Visible Presence in the Neighborhood: Of around 650 WasteWatchers, only about 50 work full-time – the rest do the checks on the side. We demand more full-time staff with a fixed neighborhood focus: permanently present and approachable, not just as inspectors but as ambassadors for cleanliness.
• Enforcement Instead of Ever-Higher Fines: Since April 2025 a penalty notice already costs 70 euros (up to 90 euros, and up to 1,000 euros if reported) – so it is not about the size of the fine. What matters is that violations are actually penalized. That requires a lasting presence on the ground rather than ever-higher amounts on paper.
• Earmarking & Transparency: Every Euro from fines must be transparently reinvested into local beautification projects (more flower beds, modern bins) within the respective district.

The Petition: Sign for a Clean Vienna!

With your signature, we call upon the Vienna City Hall to make cleanliness a priority – not through even higher fines, but through more WasteWatchers on the ground, better infrastructure against cigarette butts, and fines that flow visibly back into the districts.

Sign directly here*

*ID Austria wird benötigt

Get Involved – Support Clean Vienna

Veränderung beginnt bei uns allen. Wir müssen nicht auf neue Gesetze warten, um Wien heute schon sauberer zu machen:

• Mache aktiv bei uns mit. Melde dich an und unterstütze uns in allen Belangen. Von MüllsammlerIn bis hin zu WebseitedesignerIn und PR-Beauftragten. Jede Hand ist hilfreich.

• Oder spende an uns, damit wir noch aktiver sein können. Auf GoodCrowd.org haben wir einen Spendenaufruf gestartet, der uns dabei helfen soll, diese Initiative über das Petitionsverfahren hinaus weiterzubetreiben. Mit dem gespendeten Geld werden wir weitere Werbung schalten, aber auch Müllsackerl, Zangen, Westen und sonstiges Material anschaffen. Jeder Euro ist wertvoll und wird sorgfältig eingesetzt.
• Use the "Sag's Wien" App: Report illegal waste or overflowing bins directly to the city.
  To the Sag's Wien App
• "Wien räumt auf" Campaign: Join the big spring cleaning event organized by the city and set an example.
  Info on "Wien räumt auf"
• Unsere Petition unterstützen: Gib uns Deine Stimme, damit wir diese Forderungen offiziell in den Petitionsausschuss des Wiener Rathauses bringen können.
  Hier direkt unterschreiben

About Us & Neutrality Statement

„Sauberes Wien“ ist ein gemeinnütziges Projekt von Bürgerinnen und Bürgern für Bürger.

Important Note: This project is strictly non-partisan and non-political. We have no political agenda and will not be used for partisan purposes. Our sole goal is to improve cleanliness and quality of life in Vienna.