Overview

• Cities across Germany, including Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt, report significant increases in abandoned cars and bicycles in 2024 compared to previous years.
• In Munich, over 550 abandoned cars and 3,000 bicycles were removed in 2024, while Hamburg saw more than 4,500 discarded bikes and 2,900 abandoned vehicles.
• The removal and disposal of these items impose high costs on municipalities, with Hamburg spending approximately €650,000 on abandoned cars in 2024 alone.
• Experts attribute the issue to cost-saving attempts by owners, the convenience of public dumping, and a cultural tendency to discard rather than repair older items.
• Efforts to address the problem include marking abandoned items for removal, fines for violations, and recycling or auctioning usable vehicles and bicycles.