Kortenberg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A hiker found illegal dumping in the forest near Bertembos, Kortenberg, Belgium upsetting locals. Hans Vanhoof (council member) called it criminal. Police cleaned the trash. Mayor Thienpont noted it’s the 3rd cannabis-related dumping in Kortenberg in 2025.
A hiker found illegal dumping in the forest while hiking from Meerbeek to Bertembos, Kortenberg, province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. This made people upset because the area is known for its natural beauty. Hans Vanhoof, a local leader, said that most people care about the environment but some people keep dumping trash in the forest. He mentioned that this is wrong and affects the area’s natural beauty. Vanhoof reported the dumping to the police and local leaders. They are now taking action.
Unfortunately, there is nothing that can stop the criminal behaviour of these people, They treat our forests like an industrial dump,
says Hans Vanhoof.
Is illegal dumping in Kortenberg linked to cannabis farms?
The police visited the dumping ground to investigate but found no trace of who dumped the garbage. They picked up the garbage and transported it to a warehouse. They will attempt to determine the origin of the garbage and who dumped it.
According to Vanhoof, the police acted quickly, and we need to be more careful and do more to stop this from happening again. The local leader in charge of waste, David Haelterman, said that they will keep trying to stop people from dumping trash illegally.
David Haelterman (UnieK) says,
At first glance, there are no traces of the perpetrators. The waste has been cleaned up and taken to the municipal warehouse for further investigation.
This is the 3rd time this year that trash from illegal cannabis farms has been found in Kortenberg. The mayor said that these farms are not allowed in the town, just like dumping trash illegally. She said that the town will keep trying to stop people from dumping trash illegally and will also keep working to stop illegal farms.
She mentioned that even though it is hard to catch people who dump trash illegally, the town will keep trying to stop it. Even though these things keep happening, the town will not give up and will keep trying to stop these crimes.
The mayor of Kortenberg, Thienpont, found trash from illegal cannabis farms. She is worried, but she said people don’t need to be afraid. She said that they don’t know if the trash came from farms in Kortenberg. It could be a coincidence. The police are looking into where the trash came from. The mayor mentioned that the town will keep working to stop them.
