Waste piling up in Porte de Namur area due to construction works

The area around the Porte de Namur metro stop in Ixelles has turned into something of one, big heap of trash.

Ongoing construction works at the intersection between Chaussée d’Ixelles and Avenue de la Toison d’Or have made it impossible for workers from the Brussels waste management agency Bruxelles-Propreté to collect rubbish bags in the area for more than 10 days.

The works have prevented rubbish collection trucks from accessing both rue de Stassart as well as part of the Chaussée de Wavre, as a result of which rubbish bags have been piling up on the kerb.

Ixelles alderman for cleanliness Nabil Messaoudi, who grew up in the district, told Bruzz that the rubbish situation had reached a breaking point. “I no longer recognise my own neighbourhood,” he said. “So we’ve set up an emergency meeting with Brussels Environment because this situation is untenable.”

A spokesperson for the capital’s waste management agency said its rubbish collectors would soon pick up all the bags and empty waste containers in the area. “The problem should soon be resolved,” said Bruxelles-Propreté spokesperson Etienne Cornesse.

Photo: Belga / Siska Gremmelprez

Written by Linda A. Thompson