The use of de-icing salt on Berlin’s streets is now banned again. The Berlin Administrative Court decided this on Wednesday in an urgent procedure, the nature conservation association Nabu had sued.
This means that the general order issued by the Senate Environmental Administration has been suspended for the time being. It allowed private individuals to use de-icing salt to remove ice and snow. The BSR city cleaning service, on the other hand, may continue to use de-icing salt in accordance with the exceptions provided for in the Street Cleaning Act.
Last Friday had the responsible Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) triedto temporarily suspend the existing law in Berlin by general decree, according to which the use of de-icing salt is fundamentally prohibited because it is harmful to the environment. As justification, Bonde said that the House of Representatives had failed to respond to slippery roads with a change in the law. Associations had not only warned of environmental damage, but also criticized the approach as undemocratic.
With this general decree, Environment Senator Bonde attempted to override current law
Melanie von Orlow, Managing Director of Nabu Berlin
The Berlin Administrative Court has now decided that the general decree “lacks a legal basis”. There is no provision for a blanket release from the narrow exceptions to the ban in the Street Cleaning Act. The administration also failed to justify the immediate effect of the general order.
“With this general decree, Environment Senator Bonde tried to override applicable law,” says Melanie von Orlow, the managing director of Nabu Berlin. She spoke of a “dangerous precedent” that the court had averted. She particularly emphasized that a spokeswoman for the environmental administration in… Daily Mirror I even recommended the private use of dishwasher salt.
Even the city cleaning department warns about de-icing salt
According to the Nabu, road salt gets through the ground into the street trees, where there is then the risk of significant damage – with a time delay. It also contributes to the salinization of groundwater. However, the association also fundamentally doubted whether road salt was a suitable means of combating black ice.
Something similar happened recently The BSR city cleaning service also expressed thiswhich warned that the use of road salt is not necessarily beneficial when there are solid layers of ice. The ice can thaw and then freeze again. Organizations such as the tenants’ association had therefore called for stricter monitoring of property owners’ compliance with the evacuation obligation instead.
Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) said on Wednesday that she “took note” of the decision. On Friday, what she described as an “emergency situation” left her no choice but to act quickly. Bonde specifically referred to the capacity utilization of hospitals, which have recently had to treat an increasing number of ice-related injuries. However, a spokesman for Vivantes told the taz on Monday that the situation was under control. Bonde again appealed to the House of Representatives to create a legal basis for the release of road salt.