Collecting residual waste bins only once every two weeks, the measure annoys some residents of Walloon Brabant. However, it is beneficial on several levels, as the authorities explain.
Some municipalities in Walloon Brabant have reduced the number of residual waste and PMC collection passes. If before the collection took place every week, it only happens every two weeks now. A measure that is felt by the population. In Wavre, the provincial capital, the residents we met are of the same opinion: “I don’t find that very intelligent. Once a week isn’t bad anyway.“, asserts a passerby. “It depends on the discipline of the people“, tempers another passerby. “But we are less and less disciplined so that might cause a lot of problems, yes“, he adds.
Charlotte and her partner fill one trash can per week on average. Since the measure came into force, the couple has been forced to store a trash can in the small courtyard of their apartment. “I’m lucky to have that, but for people who don’t have anything, I understand that they don’t agree and that they’re embarrassed. You should come once a week“, believes this young mother.
These costs must be passed on to citizens in one way or another
The first reason for this decision is environmental. Only organic waste is still collected every week. The aim of the measure is to encourage households to better sort their waste. “The population had difficulty removing their food and organic waste from the white bag“, specifies Laurent Mafa, director of the waste department at in BW. “The fact of passing every two weeks for the residual and every week for the organic, this pushes the population to take the bio-waste out of the white bag and put it in the green bag”.
The project to reduce the frequency of collection was launched in January 2023 in four pilot municipalities (Chastre, Lasne, La Hulpe and Court-Saint-Étienne). After conclusive results, the project is now expanding more and more throughout the province. “Twenty-four municipalities started with this system. We have quadrupled or even quintupled the quantities of organic waste collected and, above all, residual household waste has decreased by 20 to 25%.“, adds Laurent Mafa.
The authorities’ stated objective is to go from 140 kg of residual waste per year and per person to 90 kg.
Another reason is economic. Operating costs have increased by 80% in recent months,”particularly because of energy costs and wage indexation“, explains Paul Brasseur, the alderman for Public Cleanliness in the town of Wavre. An increase that had to be compensated for. “These costs must be passed on to citizens in one way or another. It is a Walloon rule which applies and which obliges us to pass on these costs“. The city then found an alternative: “To avoid doing so, we reduce the collection“.
No minimum frequency imposed
Each municipality is responsible for collecting its waste. It therefore adapts according to its own situation. The only rule to respect is to ensure public health. Project manager at Copidec (the Federation of seven public sector waste management operators in Wallonia), Carole de Fays explains that “the minimum service, as defined by the Walloon Region, requires allowing citizens to dispose of their waste. This includes access to a recypark and the organization of a collection, but without defining the terms or a minimum collection frequency.“. In theory, a municipality could therefore organize its collection once every two months, if public health remains assured.
At the same time, municipalities are developing a system of voluntary drop-off points. In Grez-Doiceau, for example, since April 1, one of these intake points has been accessible. Two containers allow organic waste and residual waste to be deposited 7 days a week, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Essential for future generations
In Wavre, the alderman for Public Cleanliness, Paul Brasseur, does not fear that this new measure will be really restrictive for residents. “[Une fois toutes les deux semaines], it’s largely enough. Experience shows that it works very well in other municipalities, sometimes for several years. It’s a question of organization and awareness. There are sometimes difficult situations, but little by little, things fall into place“.
“It’s not just waste collection, there are also recyparks and the multiplication of sorting channels. The more we sort, the more expensive it is, but it is necessary. We have a significant environmental impact which is essential for future generations“, concludes the local elected official.
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