Rats at the organic waste container site in Konz?
In recent weeks, rats have been sighted sporadically at the organic waste containers in Güterstraße behind the train station. To prevent an infestation from developing, the city of Konz asks all citizens who use the location for their cooperation!
The presence of rats in such locations cannot be ruled out, as the animals are visible in public spaces wherever they find food. In this case, in addition to the organic waste bins, the location at the train station, with its discarded food scraps and vegetation offering numerous hiding places, further contributes to favorable living conditions for rats.
Therefore, it is important to counteract the presence of these animals. However, chemicals can only provide short-term relief. A more effective long-term solution is to deprive the rats of their food sources.
The municipal maintenance department is keeping a close eye on the situation at the container site. They clean the area several times a week and regularly check that the organic waste containers are closed. Users of the containers are also asked to help!
Please close the container lid after disposing of bags or waste! Do not dispose of food waste in front of the bin, but inside it! When disposing of your organic waste, make sure that no food scraps fall next to or onto the container! Improperly disposed of organic waste inevitably attracts rats.
Photo: Open organic waste container with food scraps at the container site near Konz train station
The city is currently closely monitoring how the situation develops. Should sightings increase despite all efforts, the administration will consider further measures. Even the temporary use of chemicals is a possibility that cannot be ruled out in this assessment process.
Should it come to that, the city believes that the use of video cameras would also be a justified long-term measure to combat improperly disposed organic waste as a cause of rat infestations.
The Konz city council did pass a resolution in the summer to install video surveillance at the site. However, implementation has so far been thwarted by the data protection laws of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, as mere illegal dumping of waste is not legally sufficient grounds for surveillance.
However, should a rat infestation develop at the container site, this could change the current legal assessment, because an uncontrolled rat population can pose a health hazard.
Regarding the possibilities for video surveillance of container sites, the neighboring Saarland took an important step this month: The state parliament there created the legal basis for corresponding surveillance measures, thus giving municipalities more leeway.