Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Brussels collected 424.72 tons of bulky waste in 12 days across 7 districts, a 16.48% rise. Alderman praised the effort to reduce illegal dumping. Another pickup is planned for fall.

As VRT News reported, Brussels city’s cleaning service held a big trash collection from April 14, 2025 to April 26, 2025, in all seven districts, including areas from Neder-Over-Heembeek to Louiza. Residents were allowed to put up to 2 cubic meters of bulky waste in special containers at no cost. 

Over the 12 days, the city gathered a total of 424.72 tons of household waste, which filled 188 containers. This amount was significantly higher than the previous spring’s collection, which had 364.74 tons in 161 containers. The increase in waste collected year-over-year was 16.48%, more people participated in this service.

How effective is Brussels’ bulky waste collection program?

The amount of regular trash, which can’t be recycled, went up. There were 103 containers this year compared to 87 in 2024, an 18% rise. The amount of metal trash stayed the same. But wood waste went up a lot, from 30 containers in 2024 to 41 in 2025, which is almost a 37% increase. 

Alderman of the city’s trash plan says the recent trash collection helped stop illegal dumping. The concept is to provide individuals convenient means of disposing of large objects they no longer need. Through making it straightforward and at no cost to individuals to dispose of items such as old mattresses, broken refrigerators, and exhausted furniture, the city prevents people from dumping their garbage in open areas.

Another big trash pickup is planned for the fall. Officials mentioned that this lets people get rid of stuff without dumping it illegally. These pickups help make Brussels cleaner. The city wants to change how people throw away trash by having these pickups and telling people about them.