No waste collection in Den Bosch and Vught for two weeks

Residents of the municipalities of Den Bosch and Vught will not be able to put their garbage cans on the street for the next two weeks. The municipality has temporarily suspended the collection of residual waste, VGF and paper and plastic following intervention by the Labor Inspectorate. As Den Bosch also collects residual waste, paper and plastic in Oisterwijk and Heusden in Brabant, the collection will also be suspended there for two weeks.

During the inspection, an unsafe situation was found in a transfer hall where the collected waste is sorted because vehicles and people work there alternately. As a result, the municipality must change the working methods in the hall and until this is done, the hall will remain closed. "We cannot carry out this work at another location and that is why we are suspending collections from February 5," a spokesperson said.

The municipality of Den Bosch had previously been warned by the labor inspectorate that there was too little space at the transshipment point, which compromised the safety of the workers. The municipality responded and had the internal environmental road closed. However, this did not solve the problem of the lack of space in the transfer hall, Omroep Brabant reported.

According to the municipality, the Labor Inspectorate has tightened the regulations in response to accidents that have occurred at similar locations across the country, including a fatal accident at a transshipment hall in Landgraaf (Limburg). Den Bosch expects that the working conditions in the hall will be adjusted within two weeks so that the space can be used again and waste collection can resume.

"We understand that this measure is very annoying. Not only for our residents and businesses but also for our employees. Nevertheless, we ask for everyone's understanding and cooperation. Working safely is our top priority. We are working hard to make the transshipment hall as safe as possible,“ Den Bosch councilor Ralph Geers said.