Flemish cities remove over one million tiles to create green space

The towns of Turnhout, Herentals, and Peer won the 2026 Flemish Tile-Whipping Championship in Belgium.

The competition, organized by the non-profit organization Breekijzer, encourages municipalities and residents to replace paved surfaces with vegetation to improve local environments. During this fourth edition of the competition, participants removed a total of 1,397,083 tiles. This change created enough new green space to cover approximately 18 football fields.

Peer took first place in the small towns and municipalities category by removing more than 93,000 tiles. The city focused on its central market square and the church of Wijchmaal, while also addressing roadside verges on Deusterstraat. Peer also received the award for the best campaign because it helped 44 residents remove paving from the areas in front of their homes.

Turnhout won the large towns and municipalities category by removing 76,382 tiles, while Herentals won the medium-sized category with 98,528 tiles removed. Anton Christiaens, a coordinator at Breekijzer, stated that every tile matters and even small front gardens make a tangible difference. Peer plans to continue its work next year by removing paving from the front garden of the Wauberg youth center to improve water management and reduce noise reflection.