Anderlecht sets up mobile cameras to fight illegal tipping

They already existed in Schaerbeek and Molenbeek. But now, mobile cameras have arrived in Anderlecht, and they're there to catch illegal dumping in the act. They were tested before the summer, and have been in use since October. Thanks to the cameras, 20 contraveners were caught.

A civil servant working in cleanliness who wants to remain anonymous installs a mobile camera in a deserted industrial zone in Anderlecht. Illegal dumps are often found there. Since October, the town set up 27 mobile cameras to track contraveners. We started with the places where we know that there trash is being dumped illegally from cars or vans. Because we can easily identify them.

Then there are places where we know that residents are responsible and we try, with cameras, to know where they're coming from Thanks to mobile cameras, we gave out 20 fines. And they're expensive.

For dumped waste, furniture, wood and so on, it's 300 euros per cubic meter. Multiplied by the number of cubic meters we picked up. For construction waste, bricks, plaster, concrete, it's 500 euros per cubic meter. Multiplied by the number of cubic meters we found.

Every day, Anderlecht's clean-up crews pick up 15 tons of illegal waste. Contraveners have varied backgrounds. Tracking them down takes time. I have the cameras' memory cards. I connect them to the PC and watch the footage. I browse through the images gradually. When I see an illegal dump, I take note of it.

Here's someone who was caught red-handed. Before, there's nothing.And then, you see a bag. In 2015, before the introduction of mobile cameras, 3,000 people were fined in Anderlecht for illegal tipping