For a long time, authorities has been aware of the problem of pollution at the Upper Sure Lake, which costs the municipality of Esch-sur-Sûre over €100,000 every year, but they are unable to control it.
When the temperature rises, people like to spend time in nature, preferably in places where they can cool off. This is one of the reasons why the Upper Sûre Lake is so popular. Relaxing, barbecuing, swimming - in other words, having a good time if it weren't for the waste. Every year, the municipality is confronted with the same problem. Even though there are plenty of bins available, some people simply leave their rubbish lying around.
The Upper Sûre Lake is an idyllic, beautiful, and quiet place during the week, but once it's the weekend and the weather is right, the area around the lake does not look so clean anymore. Rubbish is left everywhere, despite the numerous bins available to visitors.
Clean-up crews regularly find leftover food and drink, and although there are designated grilling areas, some people still manage to grill their meat on the ground a few metres from the grill, destroying the grass.
Jean-Luc Linster, who works at the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), is also aware of the situation. When he is in charge of security at the Upper Sûre Lake on weekends, he often sees what people leave lying around.
As if that wasn't enough, Linster's colleagues also regularly have to put out fires around the Upper Sûre Lake. After all, some things clearly do not belong in a container, especially ashes.
In spite of the many actions undertaken, such as the hiring of a ranger to keep order in the area, which not everyone appreciates, the problem of mass littering remains.
In the end, the whole situation raises a very simple question: has education failed or is it really that hard to understand that rubbish is meant to be put in a bin and not littered across nature?
The full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):
