Berlin rolls out BerlinPay, rewarding tourists for clean‑up and green travel

The Berlin Senate will launch a summer pilot programme called BerlinPay that rewards tourists and residents for environmentally friendly actions. Participants can earn free museum tickets, restaurant discounts, guided tours and other cultural experiences by completing any of about 5,000 listed activities, such as picking up litter in public spaces, cycling, or taking part in responsible water‑based tours on the Spree river.

The scheme, running until 14 June, involves roughly 40 local businesses, museums and restaurants offering the incentives. It aims to curb the capital’s long‑standing waste problem – the city spent over €13 million last year on illegal litter removal – and complements recent increases in fines for littering. BerlinPay is modelled on Copenhagen’s CopenPay pilot, which attracted around 75,000 participants in its first month and boosted bike use while collecting significant amounts of urban waste. If successful, BerlinPay could become an annual event and expand to additional sustainable‑tourism activities.