The streets of Brussels are littered with litter and rubbish bags, as the strike at the Bruxelles Propreté waste collection agency last week again made clear that the Capital Region has a structural cleanliness problem. Therefore, a "cleanwalk" was organised this weekend.
In just one hour, members of the Brussels Young Socialist movement managed to fill more than eight rubbish bags with plastic bottles and cans in the IJzer/Yser and Rogier neighbourhood.
"Brussels residents, tourists and commuters complain that Brussels is dirty. It is. In barely an hour, we collected more than eight bags of litter. That is absurdly high," said Jaro Verberck, the chair of Brussels' Young Socialist movement.
While they realise that this is "just a drop in the ocean," it shows very well how dirty Brussels really is. Research shows that plastic bottles and cans make up more than 35% of litter in Brussels, yet little is currently being done to tackle this issue.
Where is the urgency?
While neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands and Germany have been implementing deposits on cans and plastic bottles for years, the system is not getting off the ground in the Capital Region.
However, the need is high.
"Good practices in our neighbouring countries show: deposits work. Up to 90% of plastic bottles and cans are collected back," said Verberck. "People become more aware of what they consume and what they throw away on the street or at home. What is Brussels waiting for?"
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Despite the fact that the Brussels government committed to introducing a deposit system for cans and plastic bottles in its coalition agreement, Verberck pointed out that the end of the legislature is approaching and no progress has been made. "Brussels is dirty and full of litter. Where is the urgency?"
As a symbolic act, the young socialists delivered their "loot" from two hours of litter pick-up at the door of the cabinet of Minister Alain Maron, who is responsible for cleanliness in Brussels.
