There must be a better way to deal with waste in a city. I’m pretty tired of finding sidewalks filled with trash bags blocking the way, waste coming out because owners are too lazy to tie them, or because of wild animals opening them.
The worst part is that on my street, there’s a place where this constantly happens, yet they do nothing and don’t pick anything up. My block looks like a city dumpster most of the time.
26 comments
Hi, I live in Uccle, near where this photo was taken.
Here are some solutions for you.
First off, for those who don’t know, tonight (Sunday) is garbage night in the commune, so this isn’t a case of random garbage bags flying everywhere.
Whoever put these garbage bags out obviously could have done a better job at not blocking the sidewalk. I agree with you there.
The Region has an app called [FixMyStreet](https://fixmystreet.brussels), where you can signal this sort of stuff. They’ve got a pretty quick turnaround for things like overflowing garbages or blocked sewer grates. Although tbh you could probably just knock on buddy’s window and not-so-subtly tell him to move his shit from the sidewalk. Active citizenship and all that.
Bruxelles-Propreté also maintains a [cleaning schedule](https://www.arp-gan.be/images/upload/files/Charte%20entretien%20voiries_MCA.pdf) – the highest-traffic streets in the Region are cleaned twice/day. You can call and ask how often your street is cleaned, and see what it takes to increase that.
If you want to do your part, Uccle [has](https://bx1.be/categories/news/les-poubelles-rigides-la-solution-pour-des-trottoirs-propres/) (or had) a program where you can request a free solid plastic garbage container to deter animals. For other Brussels residents, you can get these in Bxl-1000, Woluwe-St-Lambert, Watermael-Boitsfort, and Ganshoren – so far.
As an Uccle resident you can also write directly to the Uccle Councillor for Public Hygiene, Mme Carine Gol-Lescot [here](https://www.uccle.be/en/node/90) if you’re noticing that hygiene is a consistent issue in your street. This is literally her job as an elected public official, so don’t hesitate to send her your thoughts.
You can also request a cleaning team from Uccle come by your street if there’s a garbage spill. Their number is **02/605.16.60**, or email **proprete@uccle.brussels**.
For the Region, you can also get in touch with the Regional Department for Public Cleanliness and Waste Management (under Min. Alain Maron – Ecolo). The Region usually has public forums on these matters and you can definitely go and express yourself.
If you notice that garbage collectors missed a house on your street, or didn’t collect everything, you can request that Bruxelles-Proprete come by again to pick up whatever was left. The number is **0800/981 81**, or use the web-form [here](https://www.arp-gan.be/fr/un-probleme.html).
As for the behaviour, well, talk to your neighbours! I’m sure there are plenty of others who aren’t thrilled about it either. WSL has started [CleanWalks](https://bx1.be/categories/news/woluwe-saint-lambert-les-habitants-nettoient-leur-commune/), which are community-based walks to clean up the area. They collected around 200L of waste in about 2h30 two days ago – I’m 100% sure the commune would help you out.
Thanks for your interest in keeping the city clean!
What do you expect, it’s Brussels
You’re not the only one… It’s sad to walk down the streets and encounter garbage all the time. I don’t understand what kind of people think it’s okay to just litter everywhere. If they don’t mind it, they should keep the garbage home. Also, fines should be more heavily used to deal with the assholes.
I live on the coast and twice a week during garbage day there are seagulls ripping open the plastic bags and strewing the garbage everywhere, I really wish there was a different way to handle garbage here
Well the issue also comes from some people who take out their trash way too early. Let’s say the trash are taken on Monday morning. Well sometimes the bag are already out by Sunday afternoon.
I think blocking the sidewalk is the biggest crime. Preventing other pedestrians (especially in wheelchair) to use the street.
Yes, education. Unfortunately we are going backwards on that.
[Same energy](https://twitter.com/the_transit_guy/status/1549189525154545664)
I took some friends from Germany who were on erasmus to see Brussels over a weekend. They loved the city, except the trash. Every day seemed like thrash day. The “Grand Place” is clean, but as soon as you go 2 streets further you’re left with a gnarly feeling.
Are we going to have these pics every fucking Sundays ?
It’s not Brussels’ fault, it’s its people. Most recycle, use the proper bags, place them outside out of the way, at the correct time, etc.
But then again, I’ve seen trashbags being thrown out the window from the second floor too, disgusting. Living in the pentagon.
We have the Diftar system over here
It’s getting worse day by day
That’s pretty racist.
Containers. They’re magical. The system made for picking garbage is something very special, this is, very Belgian.
Would underground trash containers work? Like this:
https://i.imgur.com/cXGa08g.jpg
The people in the street receive a card and they can throw their trash in whenever they want and it will be picked up with a truck.
I don’t think we have a choice in Bruxelles , maybe in some neighborhoods it’s different but most streets there isn’t enough space to use dumpsters
Brussels is one ugly hellhole so what do you expected?
I was visiting Brussel few weaks ago and I found that crazy. Trash bags everywhere on sidewalk. I expected Russia to look like that ^^
Police are starting to patrol streets for exactly these kind of things, but it is not easy to figure out who the trash bags actually belong too.
So in reoccurring cases they will check the bags for anything that can identify the person and send them a fine.
In the of case, there is a mayor fox invasion where I live so bags of trash are getting ravaged and pulled around.
But trashy humans is more likely here.
Oooh brussel vuile stad!
Belgians like parking on street too much, which prevents to place trash containers on each corners of streets. You’re lucky you’re not living in a fox neighborhood, I do and every “trash” morning the pavement is fully littered by trash. The solution used by Schaerbeek commune: a cleaning dude comes every day to pick up trash.
Its exactly the same in Ghent.
Of course there are better ways. But Brussels doesn’t have a money fountain.
When I compare the Netherlands and Belgium one has a soul the other has money.
If that amount of trash annoys you, don’t ever go to Anderlecht.
Belgium. The land of a strange recycling system and a stinky apartment.
As much as I feel responsible for recycling and separating trash in my home and keeping it there for a while before it is picked up, it also makes me feel unsanitary and annoyed. Also, the possibility of your trash bag is damaged due to a specific human, animal, or another environmental factor can cause unsavory thoughts the next day.
That said, I know it is not the simplest of topics to discuss due to the infrastructure which Belgium has, but you have to start somewhere. I’d really enjoy it if the cities, communities, and such placed some thought and effort into finding an alternative solution like, I.E., an underground container-based recycling point per community area. These areas or points would contain all the necessary ones like General waste, glass, metal, plastic, textiles, and such.
The idea of the containers would be that they can be easily extracted by a container truck which then replaces them with a new one.
I’ve seen similar approaches taken in the Netherlands and suburban areas where it is integrated quite nicely. So, it probably wouldn’t be a completely alien idea to do so in Belgium too. How fast would it be achieved? Probably takes several years before it is in place.
Anyways, I thought to ramble about it out loud as I am stuffing the remaining of my trash in the region-specific plastic bag afterward.
Happy recycling everyone