The weekly private cleaning efforts in Brussels' Brabant quarter have been doubled to compensate for the disrupted services, explained the Schaerbeek municipality in a statement on Wednesday.
Almost two months ago, Bruxelles-Propreté, the regional agency for cleanliness and maintenance, interrupted their services due to concerns over the safety of their staff.
"We are open to the idea of our teams coming back, but the most important aspect for us is security. We must have guidelines for the security of our staff," Bruxelles-Propreté spokesperson Adel Lassouli told The Brussels Times.
To address the absence of their services until an agreement is reached, the municipality has taken a "series of emergency measures." This includes allocating €365,000 to hire a private cleaning company.
"We understand the distress of the residents, shopkeepers and other people who frequent the area. That is why we are not giving up and we are continuing to look for solutions to maintain and clean the district," stated Councillor for Public Cleanliness Deborah Lorenzino and Acting Mayor Frédéric Nimal.
Since 21 July, a private company has provided cleaning services to the area four times a week instead of two. Though this change is considered positive, it is insufficient. "Ensuring the cleanliness of this particularly busy and densely populated area would require a daily operation, seven days a week," stated Lorenzino.
It remains unclear how long it will take for the ongoing discussions between the municipality and Bruxelles-Propreté to conclude. For Lassouli, it is a case of "as quickly as possible or as slowly as necessary."
