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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Natalie Wilson

Berlin to reward litter picking tourists with free attraction tickets

Berlin ranked as the fourth most sustainable metropolis in the world in the 2025 Global Destination Sustainability Index - (Getty/iStock)

Tourists visiting Berlin could soon be able to exchange “sustainable behaviour” for free attraction tickets, under an initiative originally introduced in Copenhagen.

As part of the new scheme, BerlinPay, litter-picking tourists could be rewarded with free or discounted entry to attractions and meal vouchers at participating restaurants.

According to Visit Berlin, the scheme would compensate a holidaymaker who “collects rubbish, helps spruce up their neighbourhood or supports social projects” in order to “receive recognition from participating partners in the form of small perks or special Berlin experiences”, reported Euronews.

The city was voted the fourth most sustainable metropolis in the world in the 2025 Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI).

The new campaign is expected to launch in the German capital this summer, with Visit Berlin recruiting companies to take part now.

More information on the programme of sustainable awards will be presented in mid-May, according to Euronews.

The sustainable tourism model follows the CopenPay model introduced in 2024.

Tourists visiting Copenhagen who show “climate-friendly actions” are rewarded with free drinks, meals and activities under the initiative.

Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s tourism board, introduced the CopenPay scheme in a bid to get tourists to act more sustainably in summer.

In 2025, CopenPay came back triple the size, with 90 participating attractions across Copenhagen and 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.

Read more: Tourists to be rewarded for arriving in Copenhagen by train

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