Sorting

Barbecue time! But what about barbecue waste?

 
waar moet afval van de barbecue?

This summer looks likely to be a flop, but that means we’ll enjoy the days when we can fire up the barbecue even more. A great day of barbecuing does involve some waste, though. We’re here to help you sort everything properly and keep that residual waste bag small!

Charcoal barbecues

If you barbecue with charcoal, you need to dispose of the charcoal and ash in the residual waste. Make sure you let the charcoal cool down enough! The paper bag in which the charcoal was stored can be put out with the paper and cardboard, and the same goes for the box that contained the firelighters.

What if you use a bottle of lighter fluid? In that case, you should check the sorting guide for PMD! This is because there are various types of packaging that aren’t allowed in the PMD bag: packaging that should always be put with Household Hazardous Waste, even if it’s empty. One example is fuel packaging, so even if your plastic lighter fluid bottle is empty, it’s not allowed in the blue bag. Put the bottle aside and take it with you on your next visit to the recycling park.

aanmaakmiddel voor de barbecue
gasfles op butaan of propaan

Gas barbecues

Are you more of a gas barbecue fan? In that case you won’t have any charcoal or firelighter waste. The only thing you have to pay attention to is the gas bottle that you connect to your barbecue. Used gas bottles should obviously be handled with care. Don’t just toss them into the residual waste or PMD: return them properly. You can return or exchange bottles from well-known brands such as Campingaz, Antargaz or Primagaz at numerous sales outlets, so be sure to take a look at the company’s website to find a distributor in your area, or visit mabouteillegaz.be (FR) or mijngasfles.be (NL).

If your gas bottle isn’t yet empty after you’ve used it, it’s a good idea to take some precautions. Close the bottle tightly and don’t store it near heat sources or in the sun.

pmd over na de bbq

Time to eat!

Now that we’ve gone through the safety warnings with you, it’s time to focus on the essentials: good food. What about the plastic trays in which the meat was packaged? Into the blue bag with them! Be sure to remove the plastic used to seal the tray so that it too can be sorted and recycled afterwards. If there’s a piece of paper in the tray to absorb the meat juice, it goes in the residual waste.

Having some salad or vegetables with the barbecue? A bag of pre-washed lettuce is often useful, and that bag should also go in the blue bag once it's empty. A barbecue wouldn’t be a barbecue if there were no leftovers. Don’t throw them away: enjoy them afterwards. Vegetable waste such as potato peel goes in the organic waste. What about meat skewers (or vegetable skewers)? They belong in the residual waste. And if the bottle of ketchup or mayonnaise is empty, that's for the PMD bag.

Some wine to go with the barbecue

Got through a few bottles of wine? We don’t judge – unless you sort them incorrectly. Empty wine bottles are glass, of course, but did you know that wine corks are also perfectly recyclable? Keep them separately and hand them in on your next visit to the recycling park, or at one of the many collection points you’ll find here. If the cork’s made of plastic, it can go in with the PMD. You can put the cardboard box from bag-in-box wine in with the paper and cardboard, and the flexible wine bag can go in with the PMD if it’s transparent. If the bag is aluminised, it’s not recyclable and must be disposed of as residual waste. If your friends prefer beer, the bottle caps are Metal packaging – the M in PMD.

wijn en bier bij de bbq

 

Holding a barbecue can generate a fair amount of waste, but if you sort everything correctly, a lot of it will be reused as raw material. And the bonus is that you won’t have to pay for a residual waste bag full of barbecue waste. Enjoy the barbecues to come this summer: hopefully there’ll be plenty of them!

Other doubts about sorting waste? Fill in what you want to recycle on top of this page and get the answer right away!