In mid-May, Brussels reformed its waste collection procedure, amending calendars and now enforcing the use of orange bin bags for organic matter. Those who overlook the sorting regulations will henceforth receive fines.
The Brussels Capital Region's new waste collection system has been in place for several months. Households, authorities and businesses are obliged to use orange bin bags for all recyclable food waste in an effort to reduce non-recyclable residual waste. The collection calendars have also changed in almost all municipalities.
In the first weeks (and in some cases months), this led to confusion and frustration among some citizens and local authorities, with many arguing that the adjusted collection rounds have resulted in more waste on the capital's streets. However, the Bruxelles-Propreté agency in charge of collection services estimated after one month that there were "encouraging" results.
On Friday, the agency confirmed that it has started issuing fines to residents for obvious breaches of the new waste collection times. This phase of targeted fines will be followed by even more widespread fines from mid-October, as previously announced.
Still too many bags
While the agency noted that the majority of Brussels residents are complying with the new rules, it said there are still too many bags on the street outside the scheduled times. In the first week of September alone, the agency's teams collected some 38 tonnes of bags that were on the streets at the wrong time.
Over the past few weeks, the agency has started to take stock of this type of situation to assess which neighbourhoods (and residents) are particularly problematic. The agency is currently making a guide to help the officers responsible for issuing fines.
This week, it launched a first phase of targeted fines. Offenders will mainly be fined for failing to comply with the timetables for putting their bags on the streets. But failure to sort plastic, paper and food waste from non-recyclable residual waste (in the white bag) can now also result in fines. "This type of behaviour is committed by a minority, but it is damaging everyone's living environment," the agency stated.
People who violate the new system will face removal costs of between €100 and €300, as well as fines of between €100 and €300. Taking out a bag at the wrong time without having sorted it first could therefore cost offenders €600.
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From Monday onwards, the agency will also be meeting individually with Brussels' various municipalities to gather as much information as possible, cross-check it with internal reports and propose an assessment of the reform by mid-October. Bruxelles-Propreté will also be making face-to-face visits to neighbourhoods in the Region where the message still needs to be amplified.
The new rubbish collection calendar for all municipalities can be found on the website of Bruxelles-Propreté, the body responsible for waste collection and street cleaning in the region. By entering your address here, you can find out which bags to put out on which days.
