“Each participant collected on average three kilos of rubbish”, Mr Di Antonio said.
The 499 tonnes of rubbish filled 85,954 bags. 40% of what was collected was PMC. 60% of the bags were filled with various other types of rubbish (excluding glass and large and/or dangerous waste).
A press statement said a third of the rubbish was cans and plastic bottles, which are included in the rubbish “selectively and efficiently collected from people’s houses in Wallonia”. This data should make the minister feel more at ease with his plan to charge a deposit for them, to encourage people to return them. A pilot project is currently underway in 21 Walloon towns.
Agents from the Mobility and Infrastructure SPW (643 agents) and their sub-contractors (1,398 participants from the private sector) also took part in the operation. The agents dealt with 146 fly-tips, replaced 367 bins and swept and cleaned 4,615 kilometres of road in five days.
Around 111,000 volunteers took part in the operation last year. They collected around 365 tonnes of rubbish.
Sarah Johansson
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