While others tidy up their garden after work or go for a jog, he reaches for his telescopic tongs and bag: Heiko Jäger is a passionate litter picker. The Dortmund native spends a large part of his free time clearing rubbish from his surroundings. His efforts to get more people interested in a clean environment are passionate and varied. one spoke to the man of conviction.
one: What actually triggered your extraordinary commitment?
Heiko Jäger: I come from northern Hesse and grew up 30 kilometres north of Kassel. I wasn't familiar with the waste problem to this extent from there. It was only after I moved to Dortmund that I became more and more aware of the situation. At the same time, I realised that it's not enough to collect the rubbish, you literally have to make the problem visible, for example by showing the contents of the bin bags. I have been publicising this on social media such as Instagram and Facebook since mid-2019.
I have now made a name for myself there as the "enemy of rubbish".
I run a public group on Facebook where people can exchange ideas and arrange to collect rubbish.
one: Where and how often are you out and about?
Heiko Jäger: I'm out and about practically every weekend in the entire Dortmund city area and also regularly around Dortmund between Unna and Gelsenkirchen, so it feels like I'm always on duty. But of course my girlfriend and her two children also want something from me.
Unfortunately, this is not a rare sight: Public rubbish bins and rubbish containers are plundered in search of returnable bottles
one: How do you go about it?
Heiko Jäger: I collect litter on my own and at collection events where I get support from volunteers and like-minded people. I take photos and upload them to social media to raise awareness of the problem and encourage people to think differently. Incidentally, we hand out pocket ashtrays to smokers during the litter collection campaigns to prevent cigarette butts from being carelessly thrown away. One cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1,000 litres of groundwater, and animals can mistake the butts for food and die in agony.
one: What has been your most impressive collection experience to date?
Heiko Jäger: In a nutshell, there's nothing I haven't seen before, from party rubbish to washing machines to complete home furnishings. Some people have no scruples and no sense of shame at all. It's a Sisyphean task. What I can't remove myself, I document and inform the relevant authorities.
one: What are the reactions to your rubbish collection efforts?
Heiko Jäger: All but one of the reactions so far have been positive and have confirmed my actions.
"There is nothing that doesn't exist," is an experience that Heiko Jäger had to make
one: Don't you sometimes feel like Don Quixote when you're constantly picking up other people's rubbish? How do you motivate yourself?
Heiko Jäger: I don't want to hide the fact that being a rubbish collector and blogger is sometimes very strenuous and very time-consuming. Most of the time, however, it's a good balance to my professional life. As I spend most of my time travelling alone, I get to relax a little and am proud of what I have achieved in my free time in my voluntary work.
one: What do you think of the REWE campaign "#umdenkbar"?
Heiko Jäger: As soon as I heard about it for the first time, I was thrilled. The motto and the campaign fit my voluntary work like a glove. You have to educate people and sensitise them to the issue. Even when REWE announced that it wanted to do away with paper flyers, it made me really happy and a little proud to work for a company like that.
Heiko Jäger, 40, works as a lorry driver in REWE Dortmund's vehicle fleet , making deliveries to REWE stores in the region. In his private life, he has not owned a car for some time and instead uses public transport and his e-bike - including for collection trips.
He reports on his experiences in his Facebook blog.
Both German and English comments appear here.
Thank you very much for your tireless efforts, that's really great. I also take a rubbish bag with me from time to time and collect rubbish when I take the dog for a walk. This article has motivated me to do this more often :-)
I am touched and inspired by Mr Jäger's commitment and idea. Role models like this are enormously important and will change the world in a meaningful way. It's a shame that something like this is not a matter of course, which makes this hobby and this occupation all the more meaningful. Thank you Mr Jäger, thank you Rewe one for reporting on this! Great employees!
Thank you Mr Jäger and from me all respect and esteem! The company should recognise such "everyday heroes" by giving them special leave or special payments!