Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ghent’s 80 glass collection points stayed clear during the holidays. IVAGO adjusted schedules, drivers emptied containers early, and only 3 illegal dumping cases occurred, Alderman Sofie Bracke confirmed.
As VRT News reported, Ghent experienced a calm holiday period at its glass recycling points, according to Alderman Sofie Bracke (Voor Gent). The city has about 80 glass collection locations, which are often busier during the festive season.
This year, however, complaints were scarce. Reports of overflowing glass containers were limited, and illegal dumping was barely reported in recent days. City services confirmed that only a small number of incidents were recorded, despite the usual rise in glass waste during the holidays.
What kept Ghent’s 80 glass points clear during the holidays?
Waste collector IVAGO did not increase staffing levels during this period. Instead, the company made adjustments to its emptying schedule to match peak usage times. Those changes kept the containers from filling up too quickly. The glass collection points remained accessible throughout the holidays, and no major problems were reported at any of the sites.
During the holidays, glass collections in Ghent were reorganised to avoid problems. Collections that normally fall on public holidays were spread over the remaining working days. This allowed services to continue without interruption.
Reports from outside services and residents were handled quickly, and drivers also emptied containers ahead of time, even when they were not yet full. At some locations, including Kortrijksesteenweg, containers were emptied 3 times in one week to keep the area clear.
Alongside the adjusted collections, regular clean-up rounds continued as planned. There were 3 reports of illegal dumping, all of which were cleared shortly after being reported. Drivers kept a close watch on the collection points during their rounds.
As a result, Ghent went through its first holiday season with bottle banks without major nuisance. The city notes that this follows recent measures taken at several locations where long-standing complaints had previously been reported.
The City of Ghent has experienced similar situations in the past few years regarding waste during the holiday season. Residents of Ghent have been reporting overflowing containers from 2021 through 2023. Generally, the busiest times for dumping containers were just before and after Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
During these incidences IVAGO and the City had to send out additional crews and do emergency pick-ups in parts of the city that were especially busy at that time. After numerous instances of the same issue, the city decided to implement additional changes to collection schedules and increased monitoring of some locations for the 2023 collection cycle.
