Enschede will not become the “Singapore of Europe” when it comes to litter because the justice ministry has shot down its plans to introduce a €1000 fine for dropping paper and cans.

The council voted in favour of the proposal by VVD councillor Malkis Jajan in May. Jajan was inspired by the clean streets of Singapore while on holiday in the Asian city-state where littering is punished with hefty fines.

“Our ambition is to make Enschede the cleanest city in Europe. We are not in that position now because people throw all kinds of stuff on the street,” he said at the time.

“Fines for littering should be the same everywhere,” ministry official Bertine Steenbergen told the council in a letter. “If a person in Haaksbergen is fined €160, a person in Enschede cannot pay €1000,” she said.

Steenbergen said the ministry understands the council’s desire to clean up Enschede’s streets. “I do not wish to minimise the gravity of the offence of discarding cans and fast food wrappers in the street but the fine has to be proportional, and compare to other offences,” Steenbergen said.

Councils are able to vary from the standards by a few euros and Enschede did get permission to increase its fine for litterbugs to €250 in 2025.

Jajan also wants local council wardens to do more to combat litter, saying last year they only handed out 12 fines. “That is not their fault, it is council policy,” he said in May. “They are now busy handing out fines for parking in the wrong place.”