Put out your bags

1. Always keep bags tightly closed.
2. 15 kg maximum per bag.
3. Sharp waste wrapped in advance.
4. Bags placed along your facade.
5. Days and times of removal respected.

The use of a rigid bin to dispose of your refuse bags is authorised in certain cases. The following rules must be followed: 

• Rigid bins are authorised for white and blue bags.
• Rigid bins may not exceed 80 litres. 
• Bags of different colours may not be mixed in the same bin. You will therefore need one rigid bin for white and one for blue, because if you put bags of different colours on top of each other, there is a great risk that they will not be seen by our staff. 
• Do not use lids.
• The rigid bins must be against the facades and visible.

Yes, we collect your waste bags on public holidays, at the usual times.

The collective benefits of the changes to the calendar relate to the environment and public cleanliness, of course.

At regional level, the new calendar, combined with the rules on sorting food waste, will lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, which will help achieve the objectives of the Brussels Region’s Air, Climate and Energy Plan.

Fewer trucks on our roads also helps to avoid traffic congestion, which again means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

With the introduction of mandatory sorting of food waste and the increase in the range of packaging accepted in the PMD blue bag, the use of white bags will automatically decrease. The white bag collection frequency can therefore be gradually decreased.

The choice of these municipalities was made on the basis of a combination of criteria, including:

• population density
• the proportion of the population living in multi-storey housing with large containers.

The most densely populated municipalities in the Region are not affected by the reduced frequency of white bag collection.

The situation of those living in smaller dwellings has been taken into consideration in the reorganisation of household waste collection. This explains why the reduction in the frequency of white bag collections has been gradual, and why the most densely populated municipalities in the Region have not been affected by the reduction in the frequency of white bag collections.

Those whose waste is collected in containers – some of whom are occupants of smaller dwellings – are not affected by the reduction in the frequency of white bag collections either.

To know the measures planned for the food waste sorting, please refer to the section food waste sorting: What support measures have been arranged?

After a period of adaptation, the Bruxelles-Propreté teams will issue fines for breaches of the bag calendar. The amount of the fine is between 50 and 200 euros (excluding costs and increased amounts for repeat offences).

The new bag calendar was distributed to the mailboxes of all Brussels residents between 2 and 12 May 2023. You can also find it here.

Evening collections take place currently as part of the reorganisation of waste collection. They are mainly being introduced on the Region’s major thoroughfares, which experience significant traffic pressure.

These collections begin at 8 pm and are performed by midnight in the vast majority of cases: the Bruxelles-Propreté depots are closed at 2 am, so collection activities are be completed well before then.

Bruxelles-Propreté uses also its most recent trucks, which are the least noisy. It will also make sure that its collection personnel are aware of the issue of noise in connection with waste collecting activities.

All the municipalities in the Region will have evening collections.