Something has changed in Brussels: we no longer send each other holiday selfies, but photos of waste containers.

Brussels Crow | 18.06.2026| By Kenan Erer

Zeynep Balci is a political scientist who has lived in Brussels for more than twenty years. She is the spokesperson of Iriscare, a former spokesperson for former Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort, and the first substitute on Vooruit’s list for the Flemish Parliament. Recently, she has also become one of the most discussed voices in Brussels through her opinion pieces in De Morgen.

From her office window, she watched a neighbour throw a large portion of French fries from a balcony onto the street below. She wrote a letter, made copies, and after work slipped it into every mailbox in the building. She did not mention which floor the incident came from — her aim was not to shame anyone, but to raise awareness.

The essence of Balci’s argument is this: Brussels’ waste problem is not merely an institutional failure. Yes, the famous “institutional lasagna” is real — municipalities point to the region, the region points back to the municipalities, and responsibility often seems to disappear in between. But if streets that are cleaned every day are covered in litter again the next morning, the problem cannot be explained by politics alone.

There are small actions that build or break a city: a portion of fries thrown from a balcony, spitting on the pavement, leaving rubbish on the street under the label of “à donner” (“free to take”). And perhaps most importantly, becoming accustomed to these behaviours — making them invisible.

The sociologist Richard Sennett, whose work focuses on urban identity and collective responsibility, argued in The Fall of Public Man (1977) that public space is not merely a physical environment but a moral contract. When that contract begins to dissolve, the issue is no longer one of cleanliness but one of belonging.

Balci notes that her friends no longer exchange beach photos while travelling. Instead, they send each other pictures of waste-management solutions: underground containers, hooks designed to prevent foxes from tearing open rubbish bags, and warning signs announcing fines that are actually enforced.

“Bruxelles, ma belle” has become “Bruxelles, ma poubelle,” Balci writes. The question is whether this transformation can be reversed — both institutionally and individually.

💬 Is living in a city a responsibility, or merely an address?