Bruxelles-Propreté has optimised waste collection services for food and garden waste, the regional agency said on Monday.
The move aims to improve public services, streamline operations, and reduce carbon footprints by minimising the mileage of waste collection vehicles. It comes as quantities of organic waste are surging – from 10,000 tonnes in 2022 to over 18,000 tonnes in 2023.
These changes will predominantly affect residents of 11 municipalities: Auderghem, Berchem, Etterbeek, Evere, Forest, Ganshoren, Haren, Ixelles, Jette, Laeken, and Molenbeek. Joint food and garden waste collections will start from 15th July.
In certain areas with minimal green space and lower garden waste production (Saint-Gilles, Saint-Josse, Koekelberg and the Pentagon), combined collections of orange and green waste bags are already in practice.
"The waste is collected together in the same truck before being transported to a biomethanation unit where it is processed in the same way as when the food waste arrives in a single stream," Bruxelles-Propreté explains. The process provides compost and biogas, and the combined collection method doesn’t affect environmental benefits.
Composting vs biomethanation
The waste collection service stressed the need to continue separating green and orange bags. While green waste is compostable, the orange bags undergo exclusive biomethanation rather than composting. The agency stressed the need to balance the garden and food waste sent to the biomethanation plant.
It will also take steps to ensure that it retains operational flexibility, adjusting waste collection depending on the volume of green and food waste in different seasons.
Four municipalities and part of the City of Brussels territory (Boitsfort, Neder-Over-Heembeek, Uccle, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre) with heavy garden waste production will continue having food waste collected separately. Anderlecht and Schaerbeek will partially introduce mixed collections depending primarily on the ‘greenness’ of their districts.
Letters will be sent to remind Brussels households of waste disposal rules and to inform the public about the start of these mixed collections.
