Bulging garbage cans and hundreds of pieces of litter in the sand. From glass bottles, full pampers and food scraps to even a discarded umbrella or cool box. Some bathers who came to benefit from the sun in Blankenberge on Thursday have already shown themselves from their best side. The beach – and by extension the entire seawall – was left as a garbage dump. “Yesterday, 40,000 people were present in our city. It was the perfect (solar) storm,” said Sandy Buysschaert (CD&V), ships for waste policy.
At the peak moment, 40,000 people were in Blankenberge yesterday. — © JVE
Extra pick -up round
City employees of the Bodi technical department went to work on Friday from 7 a.m. to clean up all the mess. Especially the zone around the King Beach, on the busy Kerkstraat towards the station, had a hard time. About three hours later, the beach was again clean, although Buysschaert also knows that additional measures are needed. “I note that the current capacity is still insufficient,” he says. “In 2020, as the then ships, I introduced the waste Islands. The capacity on the beach tripled, but we still see that this is not enough on such days.”
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“It’s a piece of mentality,” says Sandy Buysschaert (CD&V) ships. — © JVE
However, the city council must also put its hand in its own bosom. No extra collection round was scheduled on Thursday. However, that summer bustle was announced and predicted well in advance. “Our employees do their utmost to get everything back in the shortest possible time span and the beach, but in the meantime the service has been discussed to provide extra elaborations in the coming days,” said Buysschaert.
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Opposition party Vlaams Belang found that measures are needed. “Masses of people go to the coast, but the waste policy is lagging behind,” says councilor Bart van den Bergh. “There is a need for faster emptying and extra staff on peak days. A tourist city deserves a clean view for our visitors.”
Renewal project
On the other hand, the attitude and behavior of day trippers often remain a problem. “It’s an EN-EN story,” it sounds. “Sometimes making some effort, and walking until the next waste bin, also a part of the solution. When our children were small and we were on a trip, they sometimes walked miles with their empty can until we came across a waste bin. So it is also a bit of mentality.”
© JVE
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In the meantime, the city council is still trying to retrieve where possible. There is an optimization process. In this way it is considered whether a project with volunteers can be started at Mooimakers. “Together we can already clean up the busiest zones for the first time on such a busy day,” says Buysschaert. “It was also recently decided to start a renewal project of the 110 waste bins in the city center. We will retain the current waste bins that are still in good condition to overcome peak times.”
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