After the waste reform in Brussels made headlines with several teething problems in recent months, the waste collection service Brussels Propreté wants to discuss it with various municipalities for a thorough evaluation. For some municipalities, however, enough is enough.
Brussels waste reform has led to confusion and frustration among citizens and local authorities alike, as many feel that the adjusted collection rounds have only resulted in more waste on the capital's streets. Municipalities such as Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Schaerbeek and Etterbeek, among others, are even considering using fines to force the agency to take action.
"I do not think the situation is going in the right direction," the mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Christian Lamouline, told Bruzz. "The problem is that Brussels Propreté simply does not always do its collection rounds correctly. Almost every day, bags are forgotten which means the municipality then has to step in. There used to be two collection rounds for the white bag so then it was less of a problem."
Resorting to fines
The regional roads are often not thoroughly cleaned either, said Lamouline, who "feels compelled to take steps" and is considering sending fines to the waste collection organisation. "The municipality of Schaerbeek has done that before. It is sad, but if nothing is done we have little choice."
Schaerbeek city councillor Deborah Lorenzino confirmed to the outlet that her municipality is not ruling out resorting to fines again. "Compared to the first few weeks [of the waste reform], there has been improvement, but there are still many places where Brussels Propreté fails to collect the bags. We want to keep our streets clean and therefore have to use municipal services to collect rubbish. The fines cover those costs."
These fines would be based on the municipal tax ordinance against littering and range from €95 to €190 per bag, Lorenzino said.
Waste collector. Credit: Belga
Other municipalities, such as Etterbeek, also still have problems but take a more nuanced view and will give it a few more weeks for things to settle before possibly resorting to fines. "For now, it is not clear if things are better than they used to be," said mayor Vincent De Wolf.
In Uccle, the collection rounds are going as planned, but the authorities are noticing a new problem: more and more people are now dropping their waste in public bins. While they used to be emptied every three days, it now needs to happen daily.
While Anderlecht is satisfied with the reform, the authorities also said that individual collection by bin bag is "maybe just not an ideal solution for some densely populated neighbourhoods." The municipality is now looking for "creative" solutions.
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While Brussels Propreté pointed out the major improvements that have already taken place since mid-May, the management also admitted that there is still margin for improvement.
"We are especially surprised by the threatening language used by some municipalities and do not think this is fair play," spokesperson Adel Lassouli told Bruzz. "Municipalities are rather quick to say that something is our fault when sometimes it is also just residents' mistakes."
Additionally, the accusations about communication with municipalities are also unjustified, he said. "If streets are forgotten, which happens very occasionally, we inform the municipality in question. We employ permanent people for this who take care of communication per municipality and an extra round is then organised within a maximum of 24 hours."
In September, Brussels Propreté plans to organise another meeting to evaluate the waste policy and find concrete solutions to problems.
