2023-08-19 05:12:00
On 15 May, the Brussels Region launched a major reform of waste sorting collections. For the inhabitants of Brussels, the great novelty is the obligation to sort their food waste in the orange savsc – in addition to new calendars for the exit of bags with the passage of trucks once a week in 10 municipalities, as well as collections in evenings.
The beginnings are somewhat chaotic. But if hiccups persist, the reform has managed to increase the volume of organic and food waste collected in the capital.
The chaotic beginnings of the waste collection reform: “Let’s get out of populist discourse, this reform is positive”, assures Alain Maron
“On food waste, the situation is constantly progressing, points out Adel Lassouli, spokesperson for Brussels Cleanliness. The message is starting to get across, even if there are still points for improvement on the schedules, but also on the case of bags taken out following the collection has passed. Discussions are planned with the municipalities.”
According to the office of Alain Maron (Écolo), Brussels Minister for Public Cleanliness, in June 2023, Bruxelles Propreté collected 2,195 tonnes of organic waste, compared to 1,257 tonnes in June 2022. The increase has reached 75% since the introduction of compulsory sorting. The Brussels government has thus set itself the objective of collecting 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of food waste each year by 2026 (11,000 tonnes in 2022).
This waste represents only a fraction of that collected by the Region. By way of comparison, some 200,000 tonnes of residual waste (the famous white bags) are collected and incinerated each year in the Region, by Bruxelles-Energie.
Selective sorting responds to a precise logic. Until May 2023, food waste represented 40% of the volume collected in the white bags. One of the objectives of the reform is to limit by a third by 2030 the quantity of waste that ends up in the incinerator, and releases greenhouse gases.
We are not there yet, but a trend has begun, according to Brussels cleanliness. “Since May 15, we have seen a drop in residual waste, and therefore in the volume of white bags arriving at the incinerator. We don’t have exact numbers yet. But it is true that for the moment, this decrease is not of the same order as the increase in the volumes of organic waste.
Two months following the reform of garbage collection, the municipalities are still perplexed: “We are thinking regarding verbalizing the Bruxelles Propreté agency”
The blind spot of reform
What happens to this organic waste, supposed to escape the incinerator? This is currently one of the blind spots of the reform.
The government plans to build a biomethanation plant in Haeren. This plant will notably produce renewable energy in the form of biogas.
The station is not expected until 2026, however. and green energy”, specifies Alain Maron’s spokesperson.
Transhipment, transport (110 km from Brussels) and treatment by biomethanation represent 260,000 euros per month (118 €/tonne) or more than three million euros per year, payable by the Brussels taxpayer.
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It is discouraging that we force the people of Brussels to sort their waste, while the public authorities are not able to use it effectively. A biomethanation unit is also the production of electricity, gas, it is a virtuous circle.”
”It is discouraging to see that the inhabitants of Brussels are forced to sort their waste, while the public authorities are not able to use it effectively. A biomethanation unit is also the production of electricity, gas, it is a virtuous circle, underlines Christophe De Beukelaer (Les Engagés), Brussels deputy. And the reform will cost more and more to the inhabitants of Brussels, when it reaches its cruising speed. It would still be preferable not to spend this money to evacuate waste, and to keep these jobs in Brussels. Especially since, on the biomethanation plant, we are falling far behind. We will never be there in 2026.”
In a recent parliamentary response, Alain Maron however ensures that “the objective of commissioning in 2026 is still relevant”.
Household waste in Brussels: chaotic management
A factory, yes, but why so late?
Why, anyway, did not the opening of this factory coincide with the entry into force of the collection reform?
“It would have been preferable, recognizes the spokesperson for Brussels-cleanliness. But if we had to wait until 2026 for the sorting of food waste, we would have missed the boat. Especially since it is a European bond (from December 31, 2023).
“This dossier was unblocked during this legislature, while it was on stand-by when we arrived, continues the office of the Brussels Minister for the Environment. “We made important decisions, on the location, the legal and financial arrangements. The objective is now to achieve the selection of a consortium for the design, construction and commissioning of the biomethanation unit by 2024.” The earliest would be best.
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