On 1 August 2022, a new waste disposal company started collecting the residual and organic waste in Pullach. Our contract with the previous company expired on 31 July 2022 and regulations required that we put out an EU-wide call for tenders. The new contract was awarded to KNETTENBRECH+GURDULIC Süd GmbH. Remondis and their subcontractor Wittmann will continue to collect wastepaper and the “yellow bag”.
New waste collection schedules: no more zones, no more waste collection calendar in your mailbox
In order to coordinate the collection routes of these companies, we had to switch from fixed zones to a system that works on a street-by-street basis.
Important for you:
We are no longer sending out printed calendars for the whole town. These would be far too complicated to be of any real use.
Alternatives to a printed waste collection calendar
Many of you already use the “Pullach Abfall-App” either as an app on your phone or virtually on the Pullach website. It is easy to use. All you have to do is enter your street name to get your refuse collection dates. The app can also give you notifications when there is a short-term change in the collection date. And there are other practical features such as a detailed “Waste ABC”, which you can use to optimise your waste separation, or “Was wohin”, a simple overview on how to separate waste. If you would like to have a printout of this overview or a printout of the calendar, but cannot do it yourself, we will gladly print one for you at the town hall.
Cost increases are unfortunately unavoidable
The law requires that the fees we charge for collecting and disposing waste, providing drinking water and running the sewage system must cover the actual costs. We are not allowed to run a deficit nor to make a profit. The fees are recalculated every three years. After balancing out market fluctuations and taking increased costs into account, the latest recalculation forces us to raise the fees as of 1 January 2023.
Exactly how much the fees for waste disposal will rise in 2023 will be determined in January. Higher costs for organic waste disposal and for the incineration of residual waste are pushing the prices up. Our service providers also need to deal with the effects of inflation. In addition, it is planned that starting in 2024 the collection of residual and organic waste will be carried out by electric vehicles – quietly and CO2-neutral. This is another important step towards protecting our climate. Even if this means there will be additional costs, the current global political situation makes it clear that these investments in sustainability will pay off in the long run.
Water and wastewater charges
The Versorgungs-, Bau- und Servicegesellschaft (VBS Kommunalunternehmen) calculates the charges for water and wastewater by balancing the results of the last calculation period with a forecast of future price developments. In the last calculation period (2020-2022), we were able to reduce the wastewater charges from €2.52/m³ to €1.60/m³. Pullach, however, does not have its own sewage treatment plant. Our wastewater is treated in Munich, making us particularly sensitive to the price development of Munich’s municipal sewage system. As a result, starting in January 2023, the wastewater fees will have to be increased to €2.77/m³.
Our very low fees for drinking water of 1.06 €/m³ (net, plus 7% VAT) no longer cover the costs. Nonetheless, the new water charges of 1.61 €/m³ (net) starting in 2023, are still below both the average national and average Bavarian prices for water.
Potential savings
I know that these price increases, coming at a time when inflation has made itself felt, will be a financial challenge for some of you. I have enclosed a flyer with many tips on how to reduce waste and save water, both things that can have a direct impact on your bill and may help to recoup at least some of the increased costs.
Preparations for power blackouts
Pullach is also working hard to prepare for possible, prolonged power cuts. We want to ensure that we are able to maintain critical infrastructure in the event of an outage. To help you with your own private precautionary strategies, I would like to refer you to www.landkreis-muenchen.de. There, enter the search term “Stromausfall” (German only).
And finally, I would like to extend my sincerest wishes for happy holidays and a good start into the new year. May it bring you and your family and friends health, peace, contentment, and everything you wish for.
With kind regards
Susanna Tausendfreund
First Mayor
22/12/22
