Clarissa and Marvin Rathmann, resident of the German city of Duisburg and beneficiaries of the citizen subsidy, want to collaborate voluntarily collecting garbage, but the city has said no, as reported by the German magazine .
Equipped with wheelbarrows, tweezers and gloves, the couple wanted to clean the city and draw attention to environmental pollution with striking SCOBY-DOO costumes. “With our work we want to return something to the State and society,” said Marvin Rathmann.
However, the city unexpectedly stopped the couple’s plans: its official request to local commercial establishments was rejected. “Apparently it is not possible on such a scale,” Rathmann said disappointed in an interview with the media Waz.
Instead, the couple was referred to the association “Offensive by a clean duisburg”, which only organizes a few events a year. But that was not enough for them, and declared: “We not only want to participate in a few activities a year, we want to do much more.”
In its previous place of residence, Oberhausen, the city supported its commitment without bureaucracy. In fact, the Rathmann received garbage bags, vests and tweezers from local shops, and the mayor even donated a hand truck. In total, the couple collected around 210 garbage bags between October and December 2024, that is, up to 16 bags a day. “Many citizens really appreciated our work,” they said.
But in January 2025, the couple and their children moved to the nearby duisburg. Also here the Rathmann had planned to collect garbage for three or four hours a day, while the children were at school. However, they found a completely different attitude.
“Unfortunately, the couple has made it clear that it wishes to continue their commitment exclusively in the same way as in Oberhausen. However, this does not correspond to the Duisburg organizational and logistics framework,” said a spokesman for companies. Full bags cannot be left anywhere without official permission, since otherwise it could be considered an illegal discharge of waste, with possible fines or even prison sentences.
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