We are moving further and further away from a clean Flanders

Opinion published in Knack (24/10/2025)

OVAM's Litter Monitoring for 2024 is clear: Flanders is not getting any cleaner. Despite a clear goal to reduce litter by 20% between 2023 and 2030 (6,969 tonnes compared to a target of 5,297 tonnes by 2030), litter has increased by 5.3% in just one year. This target comes from the new Local Materials Plan 2023-2030 and replaces the original objective of reducing litter by 20% between 2015 and 2023. A goal that was not achieved and then simply swept under the carpet. Despite former Minister Zuhal Demir promising in 2022 that a deposit return scheme would be introduced due to the poor results regarding litter, that never materialised either. A long history of empty promises and missed targets, in other words.

An increase has not only been observed in litter. Street bins are also overflowing, with +26.4% more on-the-go waste, demonstrating how significant the waste problem remains. The litter fee is therefore essential to support the hard work of local authorities.

Meanwhile, however, the industry continues to lobby to further undermine that fee. According to them, the levy is too high. Yet this fee was calculated specifically based on actual costs incurred by local authorities. And their lobbying has successfully pushed this down. Furthermore, this contribution does not even cover the costs of litter for Flemish local authorities, and thus for the taxpayer. Moreover, the packaging industry's resistance alone has saved them 465 million euros.

The contribution to local authorities, determined by all three regional governments last July, must finally be paid in 2025, after two years of lost compensation.

Ostrich politics

Instead of working towards concrete solutions, the industry prefers to lower and delay the litter fee. Perhaps they are even trying to push the 2025 contribution out of the picture?

At the same time, they are also trying to gain advantages in other areas, for instance by calling for a reduction in the federal packaging levy. That is good for the industry's wallet, but not for cleaner streets, given that this federal levy serves as an incentive for reusable packaging.

The packaging industry would do better to implement a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans, given that the new intergovernmental agreement on litter provides for a 25% reduction in the litter levy (amounting to 25.5 million euros for the packaging industry) after the first full year of deposits, and a 5% reduction per year for a further six years.

Yet it is not only the industry that continues to obstruct progress. The Flemish government is also postponing the introduction of a deposit return scheme, even though current Minister for the Environment Jo Brouns calls it “inevitable“. Previously, they also took plenty of time to approve the litter levy. Meanwhile, Minister Brouns congratulates himself on the increased number of municipal administrative sanctions (GAS fines) issued during the Enforcement Week, but these fines are unfortunately not a long-term solution to litter.

The litter issue calls for radical measures

Increased GAS fines, prevention initiatives, and annual clean-up actions are clearly not effective enough to structurally solve the litter problem and bring Flanders closer to its target. We therefore call on Flemish policymakers to take responsibility and:

• Implement the litter fee without further delay at the level agreed in July this year, starting in 2025;

• Introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans to reduce the volume of litter;

• Place the focus on prevention and encourage reusable packaging through local taxes on single-use packaging, such as those levied in certain cities, like Tübingen;