Verdi strike halts yellow waste collection in Saarbrücken

On Friday, 17 July 2026, the United Services Trade Union (Verdi) called a warning strike at the municipal waste operator ASS in Saarbrücken, Germany. The strike stopped the collection of the yellow waste bins (recyclable packaging) across all city districts, as well as the pickup of bulky metal and electronic waste. Other waste streams – residual waste, bio‑waste and paper – continue to be collected by the Zentralen Kommunalen Entsorgungsbetrieb (ZKE).

Residents were instructed to leave the yellow bins untouched and may bring their recyclable waste in transparent bags, along with metal and e‑waste, to ZKE facilities in Malstatt, St. Johann or Dudweiler. The strike involves roughly 30 ASS employees demanding that the company adopt the public‑service collective agreement (TVöD) and improve wages, safety and working conditions. Management has rejected these demands, and negotiations have stalled, with the next round scheduled for 14 September. The dispute follows previous protests in June and earlier strikes in 2024 over safety concerns.