Orange bag and new collection calendar: what changes for waste in Brussels
The sorting of food waste compulsory for all Brussels residents from 15 May. This obligation is also accompanied by a new schedule for the release of garbage bags. Here is what changes.
Brussels households must, from May 15, sort their food waste, which currently represents 40% of white bags.
The people of Brussels have several choices for sorting their food waste. They can collect them in an orange bag, which they must place along the facade, possibly in a bin, for door-to-door collections or in a large orange container for the collection of waste from apartment buildings. Bruxelles-Propreté provides 240-litre containers per building for this purpose.
Neighborhood composts are also available. There are currently 210 on the territory of Brussels and the network should become even denser, according to the para-regional body. People with a garden can also opt for a personal compost.
The orange bag is intended to collect food waste, such as, among other things, leftover meals, fruit and vegetable peelings, expired food (without their packaging), but also paper towels. Bones and bones, eggshells and pits are not included.
No fines for now
In addition, the collection of white bags will be reduced to one per week in certain areas of the capital. Areas mostly without gardens, such as the Pentagon, maintain two collections per week. All other bags are collected once a week, each time by a specific truck. For the collection of orange bags, the teams will now be reinforced, but the collection remains weekly, indicates Bruxelles-propreté.
In addition, the garbage collectors will initially be satisfied with a visual check to ensure that people sort their food waste correctly, without inflicting fines. “We call on the common sense of citizens. The goal is not to punish, but to encourage sorting“, assures the spokesperson of the organization. “These cumulative changes will have positive impacts for the environment and the living environment of the people of Brussels: more recycling, healthier air, more fluid mobility and cleaner streets”, concludes the press release.
