Molenbeek gets cleaned up ahead of European Capital of Culture jury visit

The Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek received a thorough cleaning from residents, associations and schools on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s jury visit in connection to the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2030.

In addition to Molenbeek, Leuven and Namur are also still in the running. The international jury will announce a verdict next week.

Alderman for cleanliness Mohammed El Bouzidi (PTB/PVDA) said the clean-up day, under the banner "Molenclean", had been in the works for some time as part of World Cleanup Day this Saturday.

About 40 community group responded to the call for help with the initiative.

“In the first six months of this year, our cleaning services collected 156 tonnes more waste than in the same period last year, but at the same time we are struggling with staff shortages and illegal dumping,” El Bouzidi told Bruzz.

“An action like this is the best way to raise awareness among citizens, because clean streets are a shared responsibility.”

El Bouzidi recently strengthened the call centre where residents can report illegal dumping sites and hopes to make the streets of Molenbeek cleaner through awareness-raising and residents' participation.

Six additional cameras have been purchased and an action plan is being developed at the neighbourhood level to combat illegal dumping.

“We’re working on better communication, both digitally and on paper, about the services available for waste and bulky waste,” El Bouzidi said.

“We’re also working on a municipal plan for ‘cleanliness ambassadors’, for which Wednesday's action day served as the launch.

"We’re going to take stricter action against anti-social behaviour. It’s unacceptable that shortly after a clean-up, waste or bulky waste reappears in the streets, also because this entails costs for the municipality."