Ghent, Belgium records rise in illegal dumping reports
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Residents of Ghent, Belgium reported a record 52,325 instances of illegal dumping last year.
The number of unique reports increased by over 7 percent compared to 2024, particularly in the Sluizeken-Tolhuis-Ham and Rabot neighborhoods, where reports exceeded 5,000 per square kilometer. Despite the rise in reports, the total volume of dumped waste decreased slightly, with the average weight collected per cleanup falling from nearly 23 to 18.5 kilograms.
IVAGO, the city’s waste collection service, removed 844 tons of illegally dumped materials, and other city departments also contributed to the cleanup efforts. City officials noted that residents are increasingly aware of the problem, which they described as a major source of frustration. Ghent caught 2,064 illegal dumpers, a 12 percent increase from the previous year, and issued 90 fines.
The city’s success rate at catching offenders reached 4.1 percent overall, but was higher in some neighborhoods like Rabot, Nieuw Gent, and Ledeberg, where the rate reached 8 percent, 7 percent, and 7 percent respectively. Schepen Sofie Bracke stated the city is increasing its efforts to address cleanliness, especially around social housing, and that more citizens are volunteering to help with cleanup initiatives.
