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Waste Figures

Menen residual waste keeps falling as city reports 100 tonnes less to burn

Updated 29 June 2026, 12:00 UTC | MENEN, West Flanders — Menen’s residual waste figures keep falling, with the city reporting about 100 tonnes less waste for incineration, according to Het Nieuwsblad.

Belgium Impulse Editorial·29 June 2026·1 min read·
Developing· 1 primary source + 2 official documents · some details remain unconfirmed

In 30 seconds

  • Het Nieuwsblad reported that Menen’s residual waste figures continue to fall, with about 100 tonnes less waste to incinerate.
  • OVAM identifies residual household waste reduction as a core objective of Flemish local materials policy.
  • MIROM Menen is the local intermunicipal waste body linked to collection and sorting services in the Menen area.
  • The practical route to lower residual waste is better separation of organic waste, PMD, paper-cardboard, glass and recycling-park materials.

The story concerns residual waste, known in Dutch as restafval: household waste left after recyclable, compostable and reusable materials have been sorted out. Het Nieuwsblad reported the local

Place

Menen

city reporting about 100 tonnes less residual waste for incineration

Why it matters

city reporting about 100 tonnes less residual waste for incineration

About

Menen is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km2 which gives a population density of 980 inhabitants per km2.

figure.
Institution

OVAM

leads the Flemish policy push and sets the wider policy framework for municipal waste prevention and recycling

Why it matters

leads the Flemish policy push and sets the wider policy framework for municipal waste prevention and recycling

About

De Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij of kortweg OVAM is een Vlaams agentschap dat verantwoordelijk is voor het afvalbeleid en de bodemsanering. Het agentschap opereert binnen het beleidsdomein Omgeving van de Vlaamse overheid en is gevestigd te Mechelen in het Rik Woutersgebouw.

, the Flemish Public Waste Agency, sets the wider policy framework for municipal waste prevention and recycling in Flanders.

Background

Flanders has spent decades moving household waste away from landfill and toward separate collection, recycling and energy recovery. OVAM’s current local materials policy keeps pressure on municipalities to reduce residual household waste and increase reuse and recycling.

Context & what happens next

What to do

Residents should check MIROM Menen sorting guidance before putting items in residual waste. Common avoidable residual waste includes food scraps where organic collection applies, recyclable packaging, paper-cardboard, glass and items accepted at the recycling park.

Impact

Regional — The impact is local to Menen and the surrounding MIROM Menen service area in south-west West Flanders. It signals that municipal sorting rules and household behaviour are reducing waste volumes sent for burning.

Evidence
Developing · 1 primary source + 2 official documents · some details remain unconfirmed
Explore evidence
Het Nieuwsblad
Publication date unavailable
Retrieved by ODIN:
29 Jun 2026
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OVAM - Local Materials Plan 2023-2030
Publication date unavailable
Retrieved by ODIN:
29 Jun 2026
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OVAM - Household waste and local waste policy
Publication date unavailable
Retrieved by ODIN:
29 Jun 2026
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MIROM Menen
Publication date unavailable
Retrieved by ODIN:
29 Jun 2026
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Voices & reactions

What the main actors are doing

Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotations

Menen city and waste-service officials

Municipal and intermunicipal waste officials present the fall in residual waste as evidence that sorting rules and resident participation are working. Their priority is to keep heavy recyclable and compostable streams out of the residual-waste system so less afval minder moeten be burned.

Households and small businesses

Residents and small businesses judge the policy through daily convenience and cost. Better sorting reduces residual waste, but it also requires space, knowledge of collection calendars and trips to recycling points, which makes clear communication essential.

The story, connected

Explore the people, places and ideas in this story

Go beyond the headline. Open a card for sourced context, maps, official links and the other subjects connected to this report.

Places

Menen

city reporting about 100 tonnes less residual waste for incineration

In this story

city reporting about 100 tonnes less residual waste for incineration

Background

Menen is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km2 which gives a population density of 980 inhabitants per km2.

Places

West Flanders

province where Menen is located

In this story

province where Menen is located

Background

West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemish province of East Flanders to the east, the Walloon province of Hainaut in the south and the French department of Nord to the west. Its capital is Bruges (Brugge).

Organisations

OVAM

leads the Flemish policy push and sets the wider policy framework for municipal waste prevention and recycling

In this story

leads the Flemish policy push and sets the wider policy framework for municipal waste prevention and recycling

Background

De Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij of kortweg OVAM is een Vlaams agentschap dat verantwoordelijk is voor het afvalbeleid en de bodemsanering. Het agentschap opereert binnen het beleidsdomein Omgeving van de Vlaamse overheid en is gevestigd te Mechelen in het Rik Woutersgebouw.

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methodology.