David Dewaele has owned a restaurant in Ostend since October 2020. In the columns of the Nieuwsblad, he recounted the misadventure that the GAS company had put him through, because the lid of his trash can was not completely closed. “It looks like a witch hunt, in these difficult times,” laments the Belgian.
The fine that David received amounts to 70 euros. “So it’s only a few centimeters, isn’t it. With the fine I received a photo. In this photo, you can see that the gap is regarding five centimeters,” laments the restorer. “My container is not lockable. Sometimes people throw away their bags when it’s already full. And then it is indeed possible that the container can no longer close completely. It’s always closed when I put it outside,” says David.
For him, it is the fact of charging 70 euros for this that is shameful. “We live in difficult times. We have lived through the corona crisis, in which the catering sector has experienced difficult times. We are now in the middle of an energy crisis and this is also difficult for the hotel sector. Is it really necessary to start issuing fines for something like this and make it even harder for us? asks David.
