The orange bag
Like any other bag, the orange bag is collected on a set day and there are specific rules for using it. You can put it in a free container to limit odours and prevent the bag from being torn open by animals before it is collected.
What waste goes into your orange bag?
You can put this in the compost bin
- Leftovers from meals (including meat and fish scraps)
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Coffee grounds and teabags (paper only)
- Kitchen roll (used only to absorb food residues)
- Tissues and kitchen roll
- Food past its use-by date (without the packaging)
Do not put this in the compost bin
- Fish and animal bones and carcasses
- Eggshells, nutshells, the shells of oysters, mussels, etc.
- Fruit stones and pits
- Garden waste => green bag
- Litter for cats and other animals, even if it is biodegradable
- Wood ashes
- Nappies (diapers)
- Liquid food waste (sauces, oils, soup leftovers…)
What happens to the waste in your orange bag?
It is used to produce energy and compost
Once it has been collected, your food waste is taken to a biomethane plant. Bacteria and fungi turn it into biogas and then into electricity and heat. After that, the residue is composted for agricultural use. At present, 20 tons of food waste are sufficient to provide a family with all the electricity they need for one year.
Where can I find the orange bag?
The orange bags are sold in most medium and large supermarkets in the Brussels Region. They are sold in rolls of 15 bags of 30 litres, at a cost of around €1.5.
Don’t forget to buy your orange bags in advance. The best way to remember to do so is to buy a roll of orange bags at the same time as the white bags, to ensure you always have a sufficient stock.
The small orange container
To make food waste sorting easier, Bruxelles-Propreté makes available to families in Brussels a small and very useful orange container.
You can get one for free.
It can be kept in your kitchen or outdoors for collection.
You can use this small orange container right in your kitchen, for the daily sorting of your food waste – which should still be placed first in an orange bag. When closed properly, the container will prevent any odours or the occurrence of flies.
On collection days, you can put out the orange bag: it should be carefully tied, and placed on the pavement in front of your building.
If you’re concerned that wild animals might tear open your orange bag before its collection, you can put the bag in the orange container. If you do this, please make sure the bag is securely tied and not fixed by the metal hoop, so that the bag can be easily removed from the container. The Bruxelles-Propreté teams will remove the orange bag and leave your orange container on the pavement, so you can reuse the container for the next collection.
Do you need a small orange container? You can pick one up for free at ‘recyparks’ or from distribution points in your municipalities (It is distributed to residents of the municipality only). See them here:
Where can you collect your orange container?
Saint-Josse
Container park - Rue de la Cible 18-20, 1210 Saint-Josse
Opening hours
Monday from 11am to 6pm (closed from 1pm to 2pm)
Saint-Gilles
Public proprety service - Chaussée de Forest 63, 1060 Saint-Gilles
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday from 8am to 3.30pm and Friday from 8am to noon.
Info: 0800 97 613
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
Maison communale
Avenue du Roi Albert 33
1080 Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
Opening hours
ATTENTION : Il est impératif d’appeler AVANT de se présenter au : 02/464.04.07 ou 02/463.59.18
Recypark Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Val des Seigneurs, 146
1150 Bruxelles
Opening hours
Tuesday from 9.00 to 18.45
Wednesday from 9.00 to 18.45
Thursday from de 9.00 to 15.45
Friday from 9.00 to 15.45
Saturday de 9.00 to 15.45
Only accessible for residents of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Recypark Auderghem
Chaussée de Wavre 1860
(after the sport center of the Forêt de Soignes)
1160 Auderghem
Opening hours
Monday from 14.00 to 20.15
Tuesday from 9.00 to 20.15
Wednesday from 9.00 to 20.15
Thursday from 9.00 to 16.15
Friday from 9.00 to 16.15
Saturday from 9.00 to 16.15
Sunday from 14.00 to 20.15
Only accessible for residents of Auderghem, Ixelles, Etterbeek and Watermael-Boitsfort
Recypark North
Rue du Rupel
(near the Van Praet bridge, by the canal)
1000 Brussels
Opening hours
Tuesday and Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:15 pm
Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 9:00 am – 4:15 pm
Sunday and Monday: closed: 2.00 pm – 8.15 pm
Recypark South
Boulevard de la Deuxième Armée Britannique 676
(in front of 671)
1190 Forest
Opening hours
Tuesday and Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:15 pm
Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 9:00 am – 4:15 pm
Sunday and Monday: closed: 2.00 pm – 8.15 pm
Recypark Humanité
Boulevard de l’Humanité 350
1190 Forest
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Rue des Quatre-Vents, 73-75
1080 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Opening hours
Every day from 9:00 to 15:00.
Preferably by appointment, but not mandatory, by phoning 0800 99 343
Or by emailing propretepublique1080@molenbeek.irisnet.be
Ganshoren - Waste collection centre
Avenue du Cimetière, 22
1083 Ganshoren
Opening hours
Wednesday from 8:00 to 11:45 and 12:30 to 14:00.
Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00.
Tel. 02 465 12 77
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Chaussée de Stockel, 80 (1st floor)
1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:30.
Tel. 02 761 28 24
Jette
Chaussée de Wemmel 100,
1090 Jette
Opening hours
Phone 02 423 13 17
Home delivery
Can be picked up at Chaussée de Wemmel, 100, 1090 Jette
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Avenue Charles Thielemans 93
1150 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Opening hours
Maandag t.e.m. vrijdag van 8.30 tot 13 uur.
Woensdag eveneens van 14 tot 16 uur.
Donderdag bijkomende permanentie van 16 tot 19 uur.
Verdeling tijdens evenementen: de gemeente informeert op haar website, Facebook en Wolumag.
Tel. 02 773 06 12
Watermael-Boitsfort
Place Antoine Gilson 1
1170 Watermael-Boitsfort
Opening hours
Monday & Friday from 14:00 to 16:00.
Tel. 02 674 74 78
Please note: Orange containers will only be distributed on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 pm during July and August.
Uccle - Hygiene Service
Rue de Stalle, 160
1180 Uccle
Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00.
Residents must present their ID card.
Tel. 02 605 16 60
Schaerbeek
Avenue Georges Rodenbach, 29
1030 Schaerbeek
Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 12:00.
Residents must present their ID card.
Tel. 0800 939 88
Koekelberg
Town Hall
Place Henri Vanhuffel, 6
1081 Koekelberg
Tel. 02 600 15 01
Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 12:00.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 13:30 to 16:45.
Ixelles - Ixelles Public Property Service
Chaussée d’Ixelles 168
1050 Ixelles
Opening hours
By appointment: phone 0800 85 150 or 02 515 68 68.
The container is collected on Rue Vandenbroeck, 56-58, 1050 Ixelles (ring the door phone).
Forest - Technical Centre
Chaussée de Bruxelles, 112
1190 Forest
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 15:30.
Friday from 8:00 to 12:00.
Tel. 0800 953 33 or 02 370 26 65
Evere
Square Hoedemaekers, 10 (at Front Office)
1140 Evere
Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 12:00.
Tuesday from 16:00 to 19:30.
Tel. 02 247 62 62
Brussels City - Public Hygiene Service
Quai de la Voirie, 1
1000 Bruxelles
Opening hours
Tuesday from 9:00 to 12:00
Thursday from 12:00 to 16:00
You are requested to notify your arrival at:
- proprete@brucity.be
- 0800 901 07
Etterbeek - Hygiene Point
Rue Gray, 7
1040 Etterbeek
Opening hours
Tuesday from 16:00 to 18:45.
Or by appointment on other days of the week from 9:30 to 10:30 and 14:30 to 15:30:
– by phoning 0800 257 55
– by emailing proprete@etterbeek.brussels or netheid@etterbeek.brussels
Except on Tuesday afternoon between 14:30 and 15:30
Anderlecht - Hygiene Service
Rue de Veeweyde 100
1070 Anderlecht
Opening hours
Can be picked up without an appointment between 8:00 and 15:00.
When should you put out your orange bag?
Your orange bag is collected once a week by Bruxelles-Propreté. To find out the collection day and time in your neighbourhood, please see the collection calendar at proprete.brussels.
Consult the calendar
Please note you cannot throw your food waste directly into the orange container. You must always use an orange bag. Your orange bag, on its own or in the orange container, should be put out on the pavement in front of your home. Please bring your container indoors as soon as possible once the waste collection truck has passed.
If you live in an apartment block that has its own large containers in a waste bins room, you will have noticed a large (240 litres) orange container in that room. You can place your orange bags in this container, after ensuring they are securely tied. If your apartment block does not have a large 240-litre container, you can put the bags out on the pavement on door-to-door collection day.
Any questions?
Contact Bruxelles-Propreté on 0800/981 81 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4pm) or by e-mail at info@arp-gan.be
