Forest, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles

Reducing waste through community gaze and social influence

Waste Campaign Evaluation Citizens Belgium

Challenge

The municipalities of Forest, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles wanted to reduce litter, cigarette butts, illegal dumping and dog mess in public spaces. Traditional awareness campaigns and fines had shown limited impact, and the budget was modest. They needed an approach that would actually change behaviour on the street.

Solution

We built on the “community gaze” effect: people respect shared spaces more when they feel their neighbours are watching and care. Rather than top-down signage, we placed messages that came from the community itself right at the known hotspots, each with a call to action matched to the type of waste, turning proper disposal into a visible local norm.

Impact

The campaign reduced waste and strengthened community engagement. Cigarette litter dropped by 26% to 56%, while requests for bulky-waste collection increased by up to 46%. Interviews and surveys also showed residents, shopkeepers and cleaning teams welcomed the campaign’s clear, local tone and practical tools like pocket ashtrays, seeing it as genuine care for their neighbourhood.