The administrative fines for littering in the capital introduced on 1 June are gradually having an effect on the ground, Brussels Environment Minister Alain Maron said on Wednesday.
Since 1 June, this administrative transaction for environmental offences has enabled officers from Bruxelles-Propreté, Bruxelles Environnement or the municipalities who are responsible for issuing fines to ask offenders to pay the fine more quickly for certain types of littering.
"If we punish polluters faster and more effectively, we reduce their sense of impunity. And having to pay quickly deters more than receiving a paper and being able to pay only after a procedure of many months. So with the new administrative transaction, we expect less recidivism. All this with a view to a cleaner public space," Maron said.
He added that this rule currently applies to cigarette butts, for which Bruxelles-Propreté has already issued 77 penalty notices with administrative settlements in the span of just a few weeks. Soon, leaving cans as well as trash bags, wooden boards, and household products around public litter bins will also be enforced.
Speeding up process
Before the measure was introduced, punishing environmental offences sometimes led to lengthy legal proceedings that could last from six months to a year or more.
Starting this summer and for certain offences, Bruxelles-Propreté officers will be able to punish polluters immediately at the time of the offence via the administrative transaction by requesting they make a bank transfer to pay the fine within two weeks. Legal proceedings will then cease.
Fines will range from €75 to €350, depending on the volume of waste. The larger the waste, the higher the fine. For very large illegal waste deposits, or when the waste is hazardous, collection costs are higher and the traditional legal procedure then applies, with a fine that can be well over €350.
There are also plans, in a second phase, to introduce an even faster procedure. People caught littering would then be able to pay their fines immediately to the inspecting officer.
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Maron also said that the administration will be improving infrastructure to make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste, including opening two new Recyparks in 2024 in Anderlecht and in Haren (in the City of Brussels).
"On the one hand, offenders are punished more quickly. And on the other hand, we ensure that everyone can easily dispose of their bulky waste," he concluded.
