Inspectors to count incidents of illegal dumping in Brussels

Inspectors will be hitting the streets to assess the litter and illegal dumping situation all across the capital. They are charged with noting hotspots, how many cases they find and the amount of trash in each case.

Inspectors will also pay attention to how many cigarette ends are found in certain areas. The idea is to create a sample that shows patterns of litter across Brussels’ municipalities and parks. The information will then be used to form a ‘sanitation strategy’ for the entire region.

Graphs will be created to show how much rubbish is present per 100 square metres. These ratios will go to creating a pollution indicator. The efforts will be repeated in the future to show any changes in the indicator.

The region hopes to improve future indicators by using methods that target specific problems in specific areas. Current and future sanitation policy can be evaluated using the figures that result. “This is one of the essential elements for implementing an efficient regional sanitation policy,” said environment minister Alain Maron (Ecolo).

Bruxelles-Propreté carried out a test phase of these measurements in September, together with the municipality of Ixelles. Ixelles was chosen because it is home to many different types of public space, from narrow lanes, shopping streets and office areas to parks, stations and avenues with detached houses.