The city of Brussels plans to toughen its fight against illegal dumping by doubling several fines from 1 August and offering greater options for free bulky waste removal starting in the autumn.
Under the new regulations, illegal dumping of general waste will be fined €1,000 per cubic metre, up from the current €500. Dangerous and construction waste will incur fines of €2,000 per cubic metre, doubled from €1,000.
Unauthorised rubbish bags left on public roads will be fined €400 per bag, an increase from €150. Regulated rubbish bags or cardboard stored outside permitted hours will result in a €200 fine per bag or per cubic metre.
Illegal graffiti will be fined €1,000 per square metre, up from €500.
The city’s public cleanliness alderman, Anas Ben Abdelmoumen, explained the changes are due to rising waste treatment costs.
In 2025 alone, these costs amounted to €2 million, with €600,000 spent on clearing 1,891 tonnes of illegal waste.
To address this issue, the city will also expand free alternative waste removal services. From autumn, residents will be eligible for two free home collections per year, increased from one.
Each collection will allow up to three cubic metres of waste to be removed, compared to the current limit of two.
Similarly, mobile recycling parks will permit residents to dispose of three cubic metres of bulky waste per visit.
Combined with the annual free service from Brussels Cleanliness, residents will be able to have up to 15 cubic metres of bulky waste removed free of charge each year, up from nine — a 67% increase.
