According to Visit Berlin, the scheme compensates holidaymakers who collect rubbish, help spruce up their neighbourhood, or support social projects with recognition from participating partners in the form of small perks or special Berlin experiences. BerlinPay will launch with a focus on keeping the city's waterways clean as part of a push to clean up water tourism offerings. The aim is to encourage conscious behaviour by and on the water, as the German capital's theme of the year is water tourism, according to the city.
Berlin is calling on tourists to do their bit to show its best side this summer. The initiative is in partnership with the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. Visit Berlin is currently recruiting companies to take part, and the city is still looking for suitable partners.
Berlin is looking for companies and initiatives to take part, focusing on institutions with a connection to Berlin's waterscapes, such as mobility providers, water sports and tourism operators, restaurants, and cultural and educational institutions. The offers from partners will be flexible, ranging from small added extras to dedicated special promotions. The campaign is expected to launch in Berlin this summer, though some sources suggest a 2026 launch.
More information on the programme of sustainable awards will be presented in mid-May. Copenhagen's CopenPay, which inspired BerlinPay, was introduced by Wonderful Copenhagen to encourage tourists to act more sustainably in summer. Under CopenPay, tourists showing climate-friendly actions are rewarded with free drinks, meals and activities.
In 2025, CopenPay returned triple the size, with 90 participating attractions across Copenhagen, running for nine weeks from 17 June to 17 August. Tourists could collect rewards such as free coffees, ice cream, bike rental, organic meals and boat tours, usually in exchange for litter picking or arriving by eco-conscious transport. Berlin was voted the fourth most sustainable metropolis in the world in the 2025 Global Destination Sustainability Index, according to major media.
The city hopes for a virtuous circle where people get involved, value their surroundings, feel appreciated, and are rewarded with positive experiences leading to more engagement, as described on the website of the tourism agency Visit Berlin. Littering remains a challenge in Berlin. Illegal dumping, such as discarded furniture and old washing machines, can hardly be blamed on visitors.
3 million the year before. The public order office in the Neukölln district reported 15,000 complaints a year relating to rubbish. Smaller items such as cigarette butts and packaging make a significant contribution to littering in public spaces.
Berlin's politicians are increasingly responding with tougher measures, including a substantial increase in fines. A stricter schedule of fines has been in force since the end of 2025: dropping a cigarette butt now results in a higher fine.