Containers

Bruxelles-Propreté is carrying out a study on the performance of voluntary drop-off collection, in particular via sorting centres. The main objective of this study is to examine the performance of the voluntary collection of household waste (in particular via sorting centres) in urban contexts comparable to the Brussels Region. The aim is to assess the possibilities for optimising the performance of the sorting facilities already installed in the Region and to analyse the benefits of (and conditions for) introducing this type of infrastructure in other types of neighbourhoods or residential areas in Brussels.

For new buildings, sorting areas with underground containers have been developed in partnership with property developers or social housing managers. As a result, about ten neighbourhoods are equipped with sorting areas and about twenty projects will be equipped over the next few years. The purchase of underground containers is the responsibility of the applicant (e.g. property developer), not the Agency.

Door-to-door collection ensures maximum proximity without the need to travel for people with reduced mobility, the elderly and working people. It's a tried and tested service that is organised in the same way in many other European cities. Many Brussels residents are keen to use it. We have also noticed that some of the collection points tend to become rubbish dumps.

We collect in 3 ways: bags, mechanised containers and sorting areas (underground containers). 
Bags are mainly used for houses and small buildings, mechanised containers are mainly used for large companies with sufficient storage space and large buildings, and sorting areas or underground containers are used for new or recently built blocks of flats with more than 150 units.
In addition to these collections, Bruxelles-Propreté manages a network of bottle banks throughout Brussels.

The urban layout of Brussels, its population density and the size of its arterial roads make it difficult to install containers permanently on the streets, as this would require complex urban redevelopment and would imply massive investment in collection equipment, works and haulage. It would also have a significant impact on other urban functions, such as movement and parking. Based on its experience in installing underground glass bins, Bruxelles-Propreté believes that many neighbourhoods cannot be equipped with underground systems because Brussels has many pipes running underground.

In the case of wheeled containers, the issue is not so much the technical arrangements underground as the placement of these containers in particularly dense neighbourhoods. Finally, some of our studies indicate that the presence of containers tends to make some citizens less responsible for sorting, with recycling results below average.

Our experience with glass bubbles suggests that fixed points are often seen by many people as places where they can leave their rubbish without worrying about the nuisance to people living nearby. The installation of wheeled bins could generate the same type of problem. It is not uncommon for some local authorities to do away with these glass bubbles in order to take the wind out of the sails of these indelicate citizens.