Households in Belgium reduce waste after pay-by-weight system
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Residents of Hoeilaart, Tervuren, and Overijse in Belgium decreased their household residual waste by 30 kilograms per family after Interrand, their waste management organisation, introduced a pay-per-weight system.
In 2025, households in those communities generated between 126 and 143 kilograms of residual waste annually. Interrand replaced a bag system with weighed rolcontainers for residual and organic waste collection, and sorting stations for residents in town centres.
Jo Portois, chairman of Interrand, stated the system encourages better sorting by residents, and the organisation expects to achieve less than 100 kilograms of residual waste per person by 2026. Interrand aims to help meet the Flemish government’s goal of a maximum of 90 kilograms of household residual waste per person per year by 2030, while also encouraging residents to compost, cook smaller portions, and shop more consciously.
While some residents with large amounts of organic waste may pay more than before, reducing residual waste lowers costs.
