The Rue Alphonse Vandepeereboom in Molenbeek voted the filthiest street in Brussels by the readers of Bruzz, is to undergo works aimed at tackling the problems of litter and fly-tipping.
Along a length of the street in waste ground surrounded by a fence, which is a popular spot for fly-tippers to dump all kinds of rubbish, from household garbage to construction debris.
The trees at the side of the road opposite the houses (see photo) also offer a place for people to dump litter without getting out of their car.
As a result, Bruzz readers declared the street Brussels’ filthiest in 2019. The street runs alongside the railway and metro lines at the level of Gare de l’Ouest, Beekkant and Osseghem.
But that is all about to change, with the start of works by the rail infrastructure company Infrabel, which owns the land on the other side of the fence. They have begun replacing the railings with a four-metre wire fence which will make it much more difficult to heave a heavy bag of rubbish over to the other side.
Infrabel has also invited local residents to decorate the new fence with photos and flowers, “to brighten up the neighbourhood,” said municipal councillor for cleanliness Gloria Garcia-Fernandez (MR).
Her predecessor Khadija Zamouri (Open VLD), who was at the origin of efforts to clean up the street, said, “I’m delighted that this project will be carried on by my successor. The neighbourhood is struggling under the weight of continuing fly-tipping, and we hope the installation of this fence, as well as the reconstruction of the street will bring an end to the problem.”
The Brussels regional government, meanwhile, has approved a permit for a makeover for the whole street, including a new cycle path and footpath, and smart street-lighting. Later, some of the waste ground behind the fence will go to add to a new cycle freeway as part of the Regional Express Network.
