Brussels Boosts Food Waste Sorting, Targets 25,000 Tonnes After Reaching 21,593

Brussels (Eurotoday): Since May 2023, Brussels has required food waste sorting, leading to a 30% increase in bio-waste collection, totaling 21,593 tonnes from January to October 2024. This effort by Net Brussel aims to reduce greenhouse gases and promote recycling. If the trend continues, over 25,000 tonnes of food waste will be collected by the end of the year, much more than in previous years.

Since the rule requiring food waste sorting started in the Brussels Region in May 2023, the amount of collected bio-waste has increased significantly. From January to October 2024, the waste management agency Net Brussel reported collecting 21,593 tonnes of bio-waste, compared to 14,377 tonnes during the same time in 2023. This is an increase of over 30%. The rule is encouraging residents to separate their food waste for recycling and composting.

What factors contributed to the 30% increase in bio-waste collection in Brussels?

The increase in bio-waste collection is due to several reasons, including public awareness campaigns, better systems for collecting food waste and enforcing the sorting rule. This initiative helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping organic waste out of landfills and supports the creation of useful products like compost and biogas. By making sorting mandatory, the Brussels Region is making important progress toward better waste management 

It has been said that if the monthly increase continues, over 25,000 tons of food waste will be collected by the end of the year. This is much more than the 18,000 tons in 2023 and 11,000 tons in 2022, when sorting was optional. To help, Net Brussel has started a campaign about food waste that runs until December 31, encouraging people to use orange bags for organic waste.