Illegal Roof Waste Dumped on Orchard in Mopertingen

Morpertingen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Mopertingen, Bilzen-Hoeselt, fruit grower Koen Jans found 3 piles of construction waste, nearly a full roof, illegally dumped on his orchard. Police, led by Chief Dirk Claes, are investigating.

According to VRT News, a fruit grower from Bilzen-Hoeselt, Belgium, found a construction waste dumped in his pear orchard in the stillness of the countryside between Mopertingen and Rosmeer. An individual dumped the construction waste on Sunday night, July 13, 2025, at Koen Jans’ orchard. They left 3 big piles of trash hidden deep between the rows of pear trees. 

Among the waste was nearly a full roof structure, including the underlayment and wooden gutters. The wooden beams had been neatly cut into 2.5-meter pieces. According to Jans, the amount of waste and how it was done suggest the person or people responsible came to the orchard at least 3 times. Each time, they drove to the back of the plantation to leave the waste.

“My uncle noticed the pile of garbage. He alerted me, and I came immediately. I couldn’t believe what I saw,”

Says fruit grower Koen Jans in disbelief.

What drove an illegal dumper to target Koen Jans’ orchard?

Koen Jans was most shocked by how bold the dumping was. He mentioned that it was not just the amount of waste that surprised him. Someone went onto his private land more than once. Jans said that the person risked being caught 3 times. He said that was very strange. The dumping harms the land and the environment.

Koen Jans added that it also makes work in the orchard harder. Cleaning up the mess will take time and money. Mediahuis first shared the news. Local people are now aware of it. The police are expected to look into the case. They want to find out who did it and take action.

The police started an investigation. Koen mentioned that the offenders possibly made their way toward the area using backcountry field paths, and several neighbours have made contact, stating that they may have seen someone leave the area around the time of the dumping. The police are now conducting door-to-door inquiries and looking for any available CCTV footage in the vicinity. 

The Bilzen-Hoeselt-Riemst police zone Chief of Police, Dirk Claes, confirmed the occurrence and stated he was shocked, indicating that it was the largest illegal dumping he had seen in his career. Officers investigated the site but have not been able to locate any physical evidence that would link a suspect.

“This is the biggest case of illegal dumping I have ever seen.”

Chief of Police Dirk Claes of the Bilzen-Hoeselt-Riemst police zone

Koen, the fruit grower, is worried about possibly having to pay for the dumped waste on his land. He is frustrated that he has to pay for someone else’s illegal act, and he said, I have done nothing wrong; therefore should not have to pay.

The local government is going to measure how much waste there is. If it is all on his land, Koen will have to remove it all himself. He thinks if the area were a dumping ground, then they’d be awful, particularly because there are easy methods of getting rid of waste legally. Koen hopes the police identify the offending person, so that they pay for what they’ve done.