Brussels ring road has become illegal dumping ground

The perimeter of the Brussels ring road in Anderlecht has again become a hotspot for illegal dumping, with authorities passing the blame to one another as they struggle to keep up with the growing piles of litter.

The Anderlecht municipality said that the Brussels region is responsible for clean-up, Bruzz reports, because the Brussels ring is a regional road.

But while Bruxelles-Propreté has promised to clean up the waste – most of which is construction debris – a spokesperson said that the organisation needed to coordinate with Brussels Mobility, as clearing rubbish next to a fast-moving motorway presented a safety risk.

“Bruxelles-Propreté is almost non-stop removing illegally dumped rubbish in the region, but not on the ring road,” spokesperson Adel Lassouli said.

“That’s an unusual, delicate place for us. We have to look at the safety of our employees and insurance.”

The biggest problem area is near the Cora hypermarket, just before the Sint-Pieters-Leeuw exit. This area has been the target of illegal dumping in the past, as well, prompting complaints from motorists.

It concerns a stretch of more than 100 metres of land covered in tonnes of white sacks, construction waste, clothes, washbasins and carpets, RTBF reports.

Achille Vandyck, Anderlecht’s alderman in charge of waste management, said that while Brussels Mobility agreed to step in, “to date nothing has been done. If nothing moves, we may give them formal notice, or clean up and send them the bill.”

Brussels Mobility spokesperson Camille Thiry said picking up the waste was “not our role”.

“We agreed to remove illegal dumps until the end of 2025, but after that we are hoping for a clarification of responsibilities, as waste removal is not one of our core missions,” Thiry said.

“What's more, we're not always equipped to do it, and sometimes we have to call in an outside service provider, which is particularly costly.”

Lassouli of Bruxelles-Propreté said that while the waste will be collected, there was “no guarantee that a few days later there won't be another instance of illegal dumping at that spot”, noting that it was very complicated to keep such places clean.

“There are cameras at that place on the Brussels r, but that doesn't solve everything,” said Lassouli. “There is hardly any social control, and the fly-tipping happens at night.”

The municipal council of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, which shares a border in Anderlecht, said it was unfortunate that the waste had been there for so long.

“We’re being called to account,” said Jeroen Tiebout (N-VA), the municipality's alderman for environment and waste.

“Many of our residents take that exit and ask us to do something about it, but it's outside of out remit. If it was on our territory, it would soon be gone, because rubbish attracts more rubbish.”

With the currentl icy conditions, no removal of the tonnes of waste is planned for the next few days.

Photo: Ingrid Jenniston/X