Brussels government sets up new pilot project to encourage can recycling

The Brussels government has set up a new system to encourage can recycling, which aims to make the environment cleaner and would allow recyclers to claim a 5 cent discount per recycled can in shops and bars. One cannot deny that urban areas are not the cleanest places in the world. Leaving waste, bottles and papers in the street has the potential to cause significant harm to the environment.

Cleaning the cities is a two-way street. The public authorities should implement some measures and the citizens must contribute, too.

In this framework, the Brussels-Capital region has launched a new pilot project on Monday, which involves issuing ‘premiums’ for recycled cans. But what is that?

Three public areas will be provided with special recycling machines for cans. Every time you put a can into one of those machines, you get a 5 cent voucher ticket back, which you will be able to use in Good Food shops and even in some bars.

“If there’s no bin around, people are throwing their waste on the ground. The main way to change such behaviour lies with education,” said Fadila Laanan, the state secretary for public cleanliness.

The three places where this pilot project will tried out are Solboch campus, Alma-UCL and Place de la Monnaie.

This test is scheduled to last six months. If it is successful, it might well be prolonged and extended to other areas of the Belgian capital.