You need to sort waste
In Belgium, you need to sort waste into different coloured waste bags. The colours and bags are different for each municipality or city.
Sorting waste
There are various types of waste:
- organic = fruit, vegetables, eggshells
- plastic = plastic bottles
- metal = metal cans, tins
- glass = glass bottles or pots
- paper and cardboard = newspapers, cardboard boxes
- electronic equipment = televisions, GSMs, hair dryers, chargers
Waste in Belgium is kept separately by type (sorting) so that new products can be made from it (recycling).
Waste bags for sorting
Each municipality has its own rules for the collection of waste. For most types of waste, there are different coloured waste bags that you need to buy from the municipality or a shop in your municipality.
The municipality collects the waste.
The municipality or city collects the waste on a certain day through the week. Each municipality has rules about which colour bag may be placed outside on which day, and from which time. If you leave your waste bags on the street outside the authorised hours or days, you may be fined.
The container park
Large objects or waste that the municipality does not come to collect - such as televisions, couches, cupboards, stones - can be deposited at the container park of your municipality. This is a location where you can dispose of waste in large containers. You sometimes need to pay to deposit waste.