Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – IVAGO is launching a glass recycling project in Brugse Poort for 4,000 families by February 2025. Starting in April 2025, the glass collection will shift to 83 locations, saving nearly €1 million annually.
IVAGO is a waste management company in Ghent. They are starting a new project to make glass recycling easier. They will introduce a blue glass container for recycling. At first, 4,000 families in the Brugse Poort area will receive these containers at the end of February 2025.
The blue bins will be placed in front of homes on days when IVAGO collects glass. After the pilot project in Brugse Poort, the blue containers will be used in the rest of the “bag zone.” This area includes the city centre and nearby suburbs. Around 90,000 families live here and currently use green bags for their waste.
How will Ghent’s new glass collection globes improve recycling?
Each household in the bag zone will receive one blue glass container at no cost. They can buy one extra container, but only one additional bin is allowed per household. Officials mentioned that it will help residents sort their waste better and boost recycling rates in the city. The collection of glass in these blue bins will remain free, making it easy and sustainable for all families in the area to participate.
According to authorities, starting in April 2025, glass collection for homes in Ghent’s sub-municipalities will change a lot. This change will affect around 50,000 families. The previous framework of using blue bins for glass will no longer be used. Instead, residents will use glass collection globes.
The globes will be set up at 83 chosen locations throughout the sub-municipalities. This decision is part of Ghent’s plan to make waste management the same across the city and its nearby areas. The goal is to create a better and easier recycling process. The locations were picked based on how easy they were to reach.
Alderman Sofie Bracke from the Voor Gent party shared that work has started to set up the new glass collection points. The installation will happen before the change in April 2025. The city wants to improve recycling and reduce the impact of collection services on the environment.
Alderman Sofie Bracke highlighted that residents will receive clear information about where the globes will be located and how to use them. By introducing these glass globes, Ghent aims to provide a better and more practical way to recycle glass.
“The locations have been determined and the preparatory works have started,”
says Alderman Sofie Bracke.
According to authorities, the decision to switch from blue bins to glass collection globes in Ghent’s neighbourhoods will also help save money. The city expects to save nearly 1 million euros yearly with this new system.
Fost Plus, the organisation that manages to recycle for household packaging in Belgium, will take over the responsibility for the glass containers. They will manage the glass globes and also clean and maintain the areas around the containers every week.
The city has set rules for using the glass collection globes. People can only drop off glasses from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is to reduce noise, as dropping glass can be loud, especially in the early morning or late at night. By working with Fost Plus and making these rules, Ghent wants to ensure the revamp to glass globes is good for the budget and considerate of the community.
“The blue bin is better for the collector and looks better in the street scene”
Officials say.
In April 2025, IVAGO will collect glass from a smaller area using a new blue bin. This new bin will be the same size for everyone. The goal is to replace the many different types of bins that are currently used.
Bracke explains that this change will help reduce the risk of injuries for workers. He mentioned that with one standard bin, it would be easier for everyone to know what to use. This will also make the collection process safer and more efficient. IVAGO believes that these changes will benefit both the employees and the community.
“The large laundry baskets and plastic containers that were outside in all sizes will soon be a thing of the past, we are opting for 1 uniform blue glass container ship”
Sofie Bracke (For Ghent)
IVAGO will start delivering the bins in February 2025 and hopes to finish by the end of summer. They mentioned that this plan will help all households in the “bag zone” have the right bins for the new system. By using the same type of bin, the city wants to remove the clutter caused by old and different bins.
The new blue bins are 35 centimetres tall, 51 centimetres wide, and 39 centimetres deep. Each bin can hold up to 20 kilograms of glass waste. To keep things covered, residents cannot use any other containers for glass.
They can only use old IVAGO glass buckets that are orange or black, but only if these buckets are next to the new blue bin. The collection schedule will not change. IVAGO will still collect the blue bins once a month.
The company mentioned that this new plan makes waste collection easier for residents. It also helps the city support better recycling and keep neighbourhoods clean and organized.
