Aartselaar (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Since January 9, 2025, contractors involved in winter road maintenance services in Aartselaar have been prohibited from using salt or brine to melt ice on the roads.
This follows as there have been increasing concerns regarding its environmental consequences and the effects of the normal procedure of deicing on the environment in the region. The decision has been made by regional authorities who are searching for a solution to improve roads during the winter season without negatively impacting the environment. This means that contractors will have to approach the icy conditions on roads and learn how to deal with them.
From the 9th of January 2025, it will be unlawful for contractors of the Aartselaar roads to apply salt or brine on the roads during winter to prevent ice formation. Governments are treading the best out of using environmentally friendly media, such as sand, to conserve the region’s natural endowments while ensuring and maintaining safe roads for use.
Alderman Cops said:
“We have received a letter from the contractor stating that spreading salt or brine is not yet allowed. That would damage the concrete that has already been applied in the gutter and on the kerb; in those places, the concrete has not yet hardened.”
“It is a temporary ban,”
Cops emphasises.
“But we do want to warn passers-by this morning because there is also a primary school nearby.”
The ban is an overarching measure related to the decision to minimise the negative impact of winter road maintenance on the environment. Regulators worry that their application leads to soil and water pollution and a negative impact on plant and animal life. However, contractors must look for other substances like sand or organic to be used on the roads in order to achieve grip on a road without the side effects of affecting animal and plant life as salt does. This shift protects the environment and accords with Belgium’s thrust in practising environmental sustainability in the power sector and other sectors.
This change may also force contractors to procure new equipment for their employees depending on the nature of measures that will replace the conventional deicing information. The transition period should show the local authorities’ findings as to how these new strategies work towards sustaining the safety of the roads during poor weather. It’s important for stakeholders to also learn from each other on how to go about this new change in the winter maintenance regime.
Shift towards sustainable practices in road Maintenance.
This decision is in line with the general tendencies observed in Belgium and other European countries for a more effective and environmentally friendly approach to the works in public areas. Over the last decade, the effects of traditional road maintenance techniques on the global environment have drawn the attention of governments in the search for environmentally sensitive solutions. This stands as evidence for increasing concern with ecological well-being as well as public security in Belgium.
In addition, it is consistent with other EU initiatives that have been set in an attempt to eliminate pollution and increase sustainability in EU countries. Since climate change impacts present serious questions, municipalities are to implement measures that will safeguard the public as well as future generations’ natural environment. The lessons learned from the successful implementation of the aforementioned other forms of deicing might as well be a success story for emulation in other areas that are experiencing similar environmental issues as Delaware.
However, the avoidance of salt and brine might be inconvenient for contractors during the transition, but it is essential to make winder road maintenance in Belgium more sustainable. As authorities endeavour to agree with the stakeholders on how one can address the issues in the management of the public infrastructure, this may bring about a new development with safer methods that would also uphold the environment.
