Edegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Due to injury to a waste collector because of improperly disposed broken glass, Edegem experienced overflowing public bins. Alderman Albert Follens is addressing the issue by implementing safety measures, reinstating waste collection, and installing cameras to combat illegal dumping.
Alderman Albert Follens recognized the waste problem that affected residents. He said the situation got better as the municipality worked to clear the extra garbage, but overflowing bins were still a big issue for some time. To help Follens stepped in to remove the worst trash from public areas. The waste collection company is back to work now.
“A full garbage can does not give you the right to throw all kinds of things next to it.”
Albert Follens (N-VA), Alderman for Waste Policy
How is Edegem addressing overflowing bins and waste safety?
The municipality is asking residents to take their trash home if public bins are full. Officials say that when a bin is full, people should not leave their garbage next to it. They pointed out that the mess around the bins is what makes the streets look bad.
According to the municipality, after a waste collector got injured, collection services stopped, and many bins overflowed. This created a dirty and unhealthy situation. The municipality hopes that by encouraging people to dispose of waste properly, the streets can stay cleaner while the waste collection service gets back to normal.
“If a bin is full, that does not give you the right to throw all sorts of things next to it. That is what disfigures the streetscape the most. It is not the full bin itself, but everything that has been thrown next to it.”
Municipality says.
To solve the problem, the 100 public bins in Edegem will be emptied again on Friday, February 14, 2025. Only one collection round was missed after the incident, but there is already a lot of litter in busy areas. After the injury, the waste collection company changed its procedures to keep workers safe.
According to the officials, for now, collectors will take garbage bags out of the bins by hand. They are also thinking about using a crane later. This will need new types of waste bags, which will take a few weeks to set up. In the meantime, the company will continue collection to stop more waste from building up and to keep public spaces clean.
Alderman Albert Follens is worried about how people use public garbage bins. He says many items in these bins do not belong there. This makes the bags heavy. He said that public bins should only hold light waste like bottles, cans, and paper. But collectors often find diapers, plungers, and leftover food inside.
Follens mentioned that this is hard to understand. It makes collection difficult and can be unsafe for workers. The heavy bags are tough to remove, especially since collectors have to do it by hand right now.
“That is why the bags weigh too much. They are allowed to contain PET bottles, cans, paper, chip bags… but we also find diapers, toilet plungers, food… It defies imagination!”
Alderman Albert Follens says.
To tackle illegal dumping and bad waste disposal, the local government is installing 6 cameras in areas with a lot of trash. They mentioned that these cameras will help find and punish people who dump large or banned items. This problem happens in some parts of the town.
Officials think the cameras will make people think twice and encourage them to throw away their waste properly. By addressing the misuse of public bins and illegal dumping, the local government wants to keep the streets clean, improve waste management, and protect the health of waste collectors.
2 weeks ago, a waste collector got injured while emptying a garbage bin. He cut his leg on broken glass that was thrown away incorrectly. The injury was serious, and he needed to go to the emergency room.
Because of this, the waste collection company stopped working in the area. They wanted to talk to local officials to make sure safety measures were set before they resumed. This pause in service caused problems, as the bins filled up and garbage spilled onto the streets.
