Region and municipalities work together on 25 practical projects to improve the cleanliness of areas

On 10 November 2022, the Brussels-Capital Region government approved clean.brussels, its urban cleanliness strategy. One of the 15 priority measures of clean.brussels is to “support the Brussels municipalities by launching a new Call for Projects from 2022, so that the activities of the main public cleanliness actors reinforce each other through their coherence.” We have more details below.

At the initiative of Minister Alain Maron, the Brussels Government has approved the list of 25 projects selected by a jury of experts. In total, €2,380,000 from the regional budget will be spent on these municipality projects, which aim to improve urban cleanliness by aligning with the framework defined by clean.brussels.

Brussels-Capital Region considers the municipalities to be priority partners, when implementing the regional policy on urban cleanliness. Together, the Region and municipalities share cleanliness missions across the territory of Brussels. So it is important to boost efforts at all official levels with the aim of bringing coherence to the measures taken, as well as to focus resources on the problems identified by the municipalities in dialogue with the Region’s authorities.

Alain Maron, Brussels Minister for public cleanliness, said: “The Brussels municipalities have limited resources to deal with cleanliness issues, which are a priority for Brussels citizens. This call and related subsidies will help to support them when implementing clean.brussels, our strategy for urban cleanliness. Ensuring close links between regional and local initiatives is one of the priorities and innovations of clean.brussels. We jointly manage the cleanliness of our Region’s territory. This priority is underlined notably through this call for projects. It offers local authorities methodological and financial support for innovation plus the implementation of practical measures, in line with regional policies and where activities take place at a local level.”

These projects concern the three main pillars of urban cleanliness: prevention, cleaning and enforcement. For instance, they target:

• the purchase of surveillance cameras to combat illegal dumping,
• developing awareness campaigns on specific issues in public spaces,
• deploying “cleanliness mediators” in problematic areas,
• stepping up monitoring of commercial contracts,
• enhancing the appearance of the bases of trees,
• focusing on the problem of cigarette butts,
• developing awareness campaigns in schools.

The jury of experts has highlighted the joint project carried out by the municipalities of Forest, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles: “With the project ‘Tous ensemble pour la propreté’ (‘All together for cleanliness’), these neighbouring municipalities will work together to ensure public cleanliness in the Brussels Region. Special emphasis will be placed on raising awareness, with no fewer than five campaigns planned in 2023 and 2024 – covering dog waste, street urination, cigarette butts, street litter and illegal dumping. Additionally, a call for projects will be launched for citizens. It’s a great example of collaboration, which is very much in keeping with the framework for the urban cleanliness plan, clean.brussels.”

Other projects have also been highlighted by the jury, because of their great quality. Especially the municipality of Etterbeek with its project ‘Remise au net en profondeur des quartiers commerçants’ (‘In-depth cleaning of shopping areas’) plus the City of Brussels with its project ‘Embellissement et sécurisation de fosses de plantation d’arbres’ (‘Beautification and securing of tree planting beds’).

Here is the list of selected projects: