A number of residents in northern Luxembourg have taken to social media to express their outrage at the sheer amount of litter left behind when the beaches of the Upper Sûre Lake have cleared, with many changing their profile pictures to a black background with the words “Je Suis Stauséi” (I am Stauséi) emblazoned on top.
Saturday saw record levels of visitors to the lake, resulting in police issuing warnings against overcrowding and restricting access to swimming areas not only in the north, but also in southern Luxembourg.
While visitors to the lake relish in the beautiful surroundings, often posting idyllic images on Instagram, residents tell a different story: the banks are left littered with rubbish and abandoned items such as clothing items, towels, barbecue debris and more.
The cost of clearing up the rubbish costs the local municipality around €100,000 a year, while residents often pitch in to clean up themselves, much to their frustration. Esch-sur-Sûre municipal council has put numerous rubbish bins and containers around the areas, in addition to hiring a ranger to survey the park and put a stop to anti-social behaviour.
Despite these measures, the problem persists. In images sent to RTL Today by concerned locals, it is clear that the littering does not only affect the beaches around the lake, but also the nearby village of Insenborn.
The issue is not limited to the North either. Similar scenes were photographed at the Rosport Sauerpark in eastern Luxembourg, where visitors had left rubbish scattered across the grass and near the Sûre river.
In a series of posts on Facebook, a furious resident posted images of the mess left behind, and condemned the actions of those who failed to clean up after themselves. Other residents have since changed their profile pictures to the “Je Suis Stauséi” image in support.
Earlier this month, Naturpark.lu posted the below plea on their Instagram page. However, it would seem more action is required to spread awareness among visitors.
RTL Télé report: Is it really that difficult to put rubbish in a bin?
