Or at least strictly regulated. Then verboten.

Anything in Berlin that is not expressly permitted must be forbidden.

Berlin to crack down on a beloved giveaway tradition – One resident’s trash is another’s treasure has long been part of Berlin’s culture, but the German capital has had enough and plans to raise fines. Will they work?

Between old sofas and broken fridges, boxes of baby clothes and crates of cassettes, hidden treasures dot Berlin’s streets. In one such collection of unwanted stuff, Berlin musician Eno Thiemann discovered a new favorite author.

The Haruki Murakami books were left outside with the label “zu verschenken.” Meaning “to gift”, it’s a tradition that has long seen Berliners leave their repurposable goods on window ledges and in front of houses for others to take. And take, they do. Often within a matter of minutes.

“I was very pleased when I came back in 2013 to see that there’s some kind of culture,” said Thiemann, who had left Berlin three decades earlier before the practice took off. “Most people don’t just throw the trash out — it’s a nice thing to do and it’s enriching the neighborhood.”

But as Berlin plans to fine people for putting items on the street, this informal circular economy could become a thing of the past. The city’s environment department argues that while the idea behind leaving things out for others to take is “good and desirable,” it has “led to excesses that are not in line with the original intention.”