Overview

• Rostock reported 329 derelict bicycles removed in 2024 and already 280 in the first half of 2025, more than triple the 96 recorded in 2023.
• Kiel’s waste management arm cleared over 1,700 nonfunctional bicycles in 2024 after removals ranged between 487 and 1,811 over the past six years.
• Greifswald collected nearly 120 abandoned bikes last year compared with 40 to 90 in earlier years, while Flensburg has maintained roughly 75 to 100 annual removals.
• Only designated authorities may remove unattended bicycles under German law, requiring officials to affix warning notices and observe four-week deadlines before disposal.
• In Wismar, over half of marked abandoned bikes are reclaimed by owners within the four-week period, easing municipal disposal costs.