Bulky (large waste)

Verified 11 February 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Your large waste (called cumbersome(s) must not be disposed of in household waste. They shall be collected separately in accordance with procedures laid down by the mayor or the president of the grouping of local and regional authorities.

Bulky waste is waste which, because of its weight and volume, is not handled by the household waste collection service.

The law does not establish a list of bulky items, but in practice it may include the following:

  • Furniture (table, chairs, wardrobe...)
  • Mattresses and mattresses
  • Large appliances (washing machine, refrigerator, gas stove...), if the city hall accepts them as bulky

Some waste, although bulky, is not considered to be bulky:

  • Rubble, which must be taken to waste disposal
  • Green waste (mowed grass, branches ...), which may be the subject of a specific collection or must be deposited in a waste facility
  • Used tires, which must be taken back free of charge by your garage owner
  • Gas cylinders, which must be taken back free of charge by the seller or handed over to a collection point
  • Motor vehicles (car carcasses), which must be entrusted to an authorized professional to treat end-of life vehicles

The conditions for collecting bulky items are defined by the mayor or by the president of the group of local authorities.

These may be the following collection methods:

  • Collection on a fixed date or by appointment (this is the case in most large cities)
  • Deposit in reception centers made available to the public
  • Deposit in a treatment or recovery facility

In practice, you need to ask your city council about ways of handling your bulky items.

Who shall I contact

You can also find out about waste sorting rules and collection points near you:

How to sort your waste and where to deposit it?

Depositing, abandoning, throwing or dumping any type of waste on public or private roads is punishable by flat-rate fine.

If you pay immediately or within 45 days of the finding of infringement (or sending the notice of infringement), the fine is €135.

If you pay after this 45-day period, the fine is €375.

If you do not pay the lump sum penalty or if you contest it, the police court is seized.

The judge may decide to impose a fine of €750 maximum (or up to €1,500, with confiscation of vehicle, if you used it to transport the waste).