A pedestrian tunnel beneath Avenue Louise that has been closed for more than six months has become the target of illegal dumping, with Brussels Mobility confirming that a clean-up operation is scheduled for Tuesday 7 July.
The tunnel, which lies under the city's most prestigious avenue, has been inaccessible since the end of 2025 after it was closed by mayoral order because of unsanitary conditions, drug use and vandalism.
Although pedestrians can no longer use the underpass, people have been illegally dumping waste at the stairways leading down to the sealed tunnel, creating what has become a sizeable rubbish hotspot.
"The problem is that some inconsiderate people are carrying out illegal dumping at the entrances leading down to this pedestrian tunnel," Brussels Mobility spokesperson Camille Thiry told The Brussels Times. "We are working with Bruxelles-Propreté to have everything cleaned up." The clean-up is expected to take place on 7 July, with the regional administration covering the costs.
Credit: handout
Taxpayers foot the bill
While Bruxelles-Propreté is paying for the intervention, Thiry stressed that, ultimately, the cost falls on the public. "In the end, it's the citizens who pay. A little more civic responsibility when it comes to waste disposal certainly wouldn't hurt."
To prevent further dumping, Brussels Mobility plans to install barriers blocking access to the stairways leading down to the tunnel.
However, Thiry acknowledged that physical barriers alone are unlikely to solve the problem. "The real issue is incivility," she said. "Even if we put up barriers, if people continue throwing their rubbish over them, it won't solve anything."
Although surveillance cameras are installed along Avenue Louise, identifying those responsible remains difficult, making enforcement challenging.
The clean-up is expected to restore the site temporarily, but authorities acknowledge that preventing future illegal dumping will largely depend on changing public behaviour rather than infrastructure alone.
