Garbage collectors have raised the alarm after an increase in the number of non-regulatory bags for garden waste they are encountering on their route.
More and more non-regulatory bags for garden waste are being put on the streets of Brussels, reports regional agency Net Brussel. These bags cannot be composted in the regional composting centre, and therefore cannot be collected by the public cleanliness services.
The non-regulatory bags, which resemble the official regional garbage bags, are mainly sold in supermarkets, reports Bruzz.
"The problem has been getting worse over the past two weeks", said Carl Dufour of Net Brussels. "We don't know if the bags meet the regional standards for biodegradability, so they could cause problems," he added.
Incorrect bags are marked with a red sticker to ensure garbage collectors and residents know the bag has to go back inside.
Customers can avoid buying the bags by ensuring that the ones they buy are biodegradable, have the logo of the region ( or Bruxelles-Propreté) and are no larger than 60 litres.
Anyone who finds they have the incorrect bags is urged by Bruxelles-Propreté to return the garbage bags to the seller or the supermarket and to ask for the money back.
This comes after the arrest of a group of men who made and sold counterfeit garbage bags in cities in Belgium, who were was sentenced to up to four years in jail by the Mechelen correctional court.
The Brussels Times
