A pile of branches at the back of the garden, a windless Saturday in March, the urge to set it on fire to get rid of it. The question arises every year. The short answer is one sentence: almost everywhere, you are not allowed. But the details change from one region to another, and even from one municipality to another. Here’s how to navigate it.
Why this rule exists, even before looking at the law
Burning 50 kg of green waste emits as many fine particles as driving 10,000 km in a recent diesel car, or 40,000 km in petrol. This is a figure highlighted by the municipality of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve in its communication about fires. It is not trivial: green waste contains water, which means that combustion is incomplete, and therefore very polluting. From sluiken — as they say in Flanders to refer to illegal burnings — come dioxins, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. The Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij reminds us that 57% of dioxin emissions in Flanders come from these domestic fires.
Beyond the numbers, there is the direct nuisance: smoke entering through the neighbour's window, laundry drying, the persistent smell. Legislators, at all levels, have taken this into account. And the trend, everywhere, is towards tightening.
The overall picture — by region
To give you an immediate view, here’s how the three regions address the issue:
|
Region |
Principle |
Exceptions / nuances |
|
Brussels-Capital Region |
Total ban on burning any waste outdoors, including green waste, in the 19 municipalities. |
Barbecues allowed in private courtyards, gardens and terraces (fixed or mobile grills), without disturbing the neighbours. No campfires or improvised bonfires. |
|
Walloon Brabant (Wallonia) |
Principle of prohibition on burning waste, with a tolerance for DRY plant waste from the garden. |
Strict distances: 100 m from any dwelling, hedge, orchard, tree or field + 25 m from woods and forests. Not at night, not in windy conditions. The municipal regulation may be stricter. |
|
Flemish Brabant (Flanders) |
Principle ban on burning any waste outdoors (VLAREM), including green waste from the garden. |
A few rare exceptions (forest management, phytosanitary reasons, traditional fires allowed). In residential areas, the combination of distances makes burning effectively impossible. |
Let’s detail each case now, because the devil is in the nuances.
Brussels-Capital Region: clear prohibition
This is the simplest situation to understand. The General Police Regulation common to the 19 Brussels municipalities, in force since 1 April 2020, is unambiguous: unless authorised by the competent authority, it is prohibited to make a fire outdoors and to destroy any waste by burning outdoors, including green waste and organic household waste.
This applies to the 19 municipalities: Uccle, Watermael-Boitsfort, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, and all the others. No burning of fallen leaves in November, no fire for small branches after hedge trimming, no seasonal exceptions.
What is still allowed in Brussels
The barbecue. Article 33 of the RGP explicitly allows it in private courtyards, gardens, and terraces, provided that a suitable fixed or mobile stove is used, without risk to safety and without disturbing the neighbours. No campfire placed directly on the lawn, no makeshift barbecue in a hole dug at the back of the garden.
In public spaces — including parks and green spaces managed by Brussels Environment — fires and barbecues are prohibited, unless explicitly authorised. To my knowledge, the communal park of La Sauvagère in Uccle is an exception, with a barbecue area reserved for residents upon prior reservation.
Non-compliance may result in a municipal administrative sanction, with a fine that can reach €250 depending on the municipality.
Brabant wallon (Wallonia): regulated tolerance — but in practice very limited
This is where the situation is most subtle. In theory, Wallonia allows the burning of dry plant waste resulting from garden maintenance. In practice, the conditions to be met make the operation very difficult in most gardens in Brabant wallon.
The cumulative conditions of the Rural Code
The regulation is based on Article 89, §8 of the Rural Code, and all these conditions must be met at the same time:
• At least 100 metres from any dwelling, hedge, orchard, tree, planting, or field.
• At least 25 metres from any wood or forest — unless authorised by the owner.
• Only dry plant waste (no wet grass cuttings, no wet leaves).
• Not at night: only between sunrise and sunset.
• Not in strong winds, nor in case of a smog alert.
• Constant supervision by an adult throughout the duration.
• No disturbance to road traffic or to neighbours.
Let’s be honest: in a typical residential plot in Rixensart, La Hulpe, Lasne or Genval, finding a point located more than 100 metres from any dwelling, hedge, tree, and field is simply impossible. This rule is calibrated for agricultural meadows, not for our private gardens. That is why most municipal regulations in Walloon Brabant specify that, in practice, burning is prohibited in residential areas.
What the municipal regulation checks
Above the Rural Code, each municipality can strengthen the rules through its General Police Regulation. Some municipalities simply prohibit any outdoor fire in case of drought, in strong winds, or during certain times of the year. Before any fire project, the reflex is to consult your municipality's GPR or to call the local police zone.
Regarding penalties, the administrative fine for violating the GPR can range from €250 to €350 depending on the municipality, and more if the nature of the waste burned (plastic, paint, tyres...) constitutes a more serious environmental offence dealt with by the Public Prosecutor.
Flemish Brabant (Flanders): principle prohibition via VLAREM
For my clients in Tervuren, Hoeilaart, Overijse or in the Flemish municipalities on the fringe of the Sonian Forest, the rule is very clear: Flemish environmental legislation, the VLAREM (Vlaams reglement betreffende de milieuvergunning), generally prohibits the outdoor burning of any material, including green waste from the garden — pruning wood, fallen leaves, mowing residues, GFT.
This prohibition applies to both individuals and farmers as well as professional gardeners. The tone of the official Flemish communication, compared to Wallonia, is more decisive: the position of the Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij is that no garden fire has a place in an air quality policy.
The rare exceptions
Chapter 6.11 of Title II of the VLAREM provides for a few limited cases:
• Forest management, phytosanitary measures or scientific experiments, under strict conditions.
• Campfires organised by individuals or associations for their social aspect (end of internship, celebration) — only untreated dry wood, never as a means of disposing of green waste.
• Fire pits or "sfeerverwarmer": allowed for atmosphere, using only untreated dry wood — no painted, treated wood, or green waste.
• Traditional events such as the burning of Christmas trees or St. Martin's fires, permitted by the municipality.
Control is exercised either by the municipal GAS (Gemeentelijke Administratieve Sancties) officer or by the Public Prosecutor. The administrative fine can reach €350 at the municipal level, and the penal sanctions are much higher in the case of burning non-vegetal waste.
The trap of the Rural Code in Flanders
A persistent misconception deserves to be corrected. Many still believe that burning green waste in open fields — more than 100 metres from homes — is still permitted in Flanders under the Belgian Rural Code. This is false. Since the revision of VLAREM, the ban takes precedence, and even a farmer cannot burn his piles of branches in the middle of a plot. The areas of Flemish Brabant on the outskirts of Brussels are therefore entirely covered by this ban.
What to do with your green waste?
The practical question remains: a large garden produces several cubic metres of plant material each year. Here are the options I recommend to my clients, in order of common sense:
1. Compost what can be composted
Grass clippings, fallen leaves, kitchen waste, small prunings: a suitably sized composter placed in a discreet corner of the garden transforms all this into free amendment for your flower beds. For a garden of 500 to 1,000 m², a bin of 600 to 1,000 litres is more than sufficient.
2. Shred the branches
A garden shredder turns branches from hedge trimming, fruit trees, or shrubs into chips. These chips serve as mulch — that is, a protective cover — for your flower beds: they retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and nourish microbial life. Several municipalities in Walloon Brabant (notably La Hulpe and Rixensart) even offer home shredding services or rental of shredders at reduced rates.
3. Build a dry hedge
This is my favourite, and it is what I often suggest in the gardens of Lasne or Watermael-Boitsfort that have the space. Thicker branches are stacked between two rows of stakes to form a takkenwal (in Dutch) — a dead hedge that serves as both a visual barrier, a refuge for hedgehogs, blue tits, slow worms, and a sustainable carbon storage. Aesthetic, ecological, and zero material displacement.
4. The container park
For what remains: head to the container park (recyparc in Wallonia, containerpark in Flanders, waste disposal site in Brussels). Green waste is collected there free of charge for individuals in most municipalities, within a certain annual volume limit.
5. The municipal collection
In several municipalities in Walloon Brabant and the south of Brussels, specific collections of green waste are organised door-to-door in spring and autumn. Check with your local administration.
Frequently asked questions
What if I burn in a closed garden incinerator?
This does not change the rule. The ban applies to open-air combustion, whether it takes place directly on the ground or in a metal drum. Only true closed fireplaces (stoves, indoor fireplaces, sfeerverwarmer powered by untreated dry wood) are exempt from the ban, and only for clean fuel.
My neighbour is burning their green waste, what should I do?
The first reflex is dialogue: most people are unaware of the rule. If it persists, you can contact the local police community officer. In Flanders, the municipal GAS service can be directly contacted via the municipality's environmental service.
Are traditional fires (Saint John's fires, burning of fir trees) prohibited?
No, these events benefit from specific exemptions, but they must be authorised in advance by the local authority, supervised by the fire service, and limited to untreated dry wood. They are not fires for disposing of green waste.
I have a large rural property in Walloon Brabant more than 100 metres from any dwelling: can I burn?
In theory yes, if all other conditions of the Rural Code are met (not at night, not in the wind, supervision, dry waste, no inconvenience to neighbours) and if the local RGP does not prohibit it. In practice, always check with your local authority beforehand: several municipalities in Walloon Brabant have tightened their local regulations beyond the Rural Code.
And barbecues: allowed everywhere?
Yes, everywhere in private gardens in the three regions, provided that a suitable appliance is used and that the neighbours are not inconvenienced by smoke. It is the only garden "fire" that remains accessible without special conditions — let's take advantage of it.
Regulations are evolving — check before acting
This article is as precise as it can be at the time of writing, based on regional regulations (VLAREM, Walloon Rural Code, common RGP for the 19 Brussels municipalities) and the municipal regulations we have been able to consult for the most representative municipalities in our area of intervention. But let's be honest: Belgian environmental regulation is evolving, and each municipality can adopt stricter rules than the regional framework. We update this content when we identify a significant change, but we are not connected 24/7 to every regulatory development.
Before making a concrete decision — especially if it involves lighting anything — check the legal status with official sources: the environmental service or the police zone of your municipality, the portal of your Region (environnement.wallonie.be, leefmilieu.brussels, vmm.vlaanderen.be), and the mayor in case of doubt. Only they can confirm what applies today in your area.
In summary
In Brussels, the burning of green waste is strictly prohibited. In Flemish Brabant, the same rule applies via VLAREM. In Walloon Brabant, there is a theoretical tolerance for dry plant waste, but the distance conditions make it practically unfeasible in residential areas. The good news: composting, shredding, building a dry hedge, or taking it to the recycling park are alternatives that take barely more time, respect your neighbours, and benefit your garden.
A well-designed garden produces less green waste and values what it produces. This is one of the principles we apply in our projects in La Hulpe and throughout Walloon Brabant: thinking about material flows from the design stage, so that a garden is not a waste generator but an ecosystem.
If you are rethinking your garden and want to integrate a genuine reflection on the management of plant material from the outset — discreet composting areas, landscaped dry hedges, choosing low-maintenance plants — this is exactly the kind of consideration we work on in the preliminary project. Do not hesitate to request a garden preliminary project on the site.
Consulted sources
• Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij (VMM) — FAQ outdoor burning — vmm.vlaanderen.be
• Department of the Environment, Flemish Government — Do not light a fire in the garden — omgeving.vlaanderen.be
• City of Brussels — General Police Regulation common to the 19 Brussels municipalities (effective from 1 April 2020), articles 32 and 33 — bruxelles.be
• Local Police Brabant Wallon Est — Regulation on fires and green waste, Rural Code article 89 §8 — police.be
• Municipality of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve — Regulation on fires — olln.be
• Union of Cities and Municipalities of Wallonia (UVCW) — Fires: can you burn anything anywhere? — uvcw.be
• Federal portal belgium.be — Environmental offences and waste incineration
• Brussels Gardens / Brussels Environment — Regional park regulation
