Ashoka
From an association of shopkeepers to waste management experts, Stalem reinvents the circular economy in the Stalingrad-Lemonnier neighborhood of Brussels.
The volume of garbage on Brussels’ streets has exploded in recent years, and in a neighborhood close to Brussels-South Station it is particularly visible. Due to the intense commercial activity in the area, waste has begun overflowing into the streets, creating a nuisance for pedestrians and local residents, and negatively effecting local businesses. Alarmed by the quantity of litter lingering in front of their window displays, the shopkeepers of Stalingrad-Lemonnier decided to act together through their association, Stalem.
Reduce, recycle, reuse
Since its creation in 2012, Stalem has brought local shopkeepers together to work on many projects aimed at improving the neighborhood and attracting more customers. Their street cleanliness project also aligns with that ambition. However, they soon realized that the problem (and potential) was much broader.
In addition to improving street cleanliness, Stalem decided to address the logistical and environmental challenges surrounding waste and its valorization. As Nour Layachi, President of the association, is keen to emphasize, “Garbage has value. Our goal is to give a second life to everything meant for the incinerator and manage waste in a mutualized way.”
Adopting the ‘3Rs’ approach – reduce, recycle, reuse – Stalem shopkeepers sort their waste as much as possible before it is collected by cyclists, an eco-friendly form of transport that drastically reduces traffic and CO2 emissions, another way of improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. Unsold food is shared with the non-profit sector and redistributed to people in need, and the rest is brought to an Urban Logistics Center. Stalem also gives feedback to the shopkeepers and tips on how to further reduce waste and save money. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved,” explains Chérine, the daughter of Nour and a volunteer at Stalem.
Actions speak louder than words
Stalem’s project has attracted enthusiastic support from academic partners, Ph.D. students, researchers, and journalists. However, the main beneficiaries, the shopkeepers, were more reluctant to participate.
“At first, people treated us as oddballs, but as the project progressed and the results became visible, we saw a shift in mindset. Shopkeepers became convinced because we could concretely show the viability and benefits of waste valorization.” What started out as a pilot project with eight shopkeepers, has now grown to 40. Signing up to the project comes with responsibilities, as Nour explains: “Shopkeepers must be willing to follow training in waste management. They are not just members of Stalem, they are also clients bound by contract. They have a role and responsibilities.”
Long-lasting local impact
Stalem’s office serves as a center for training and awareness-raising. They showcase the reality of their neighborhood through photographs and display piles of trash alongside the outcome of their street cleanliness and waste valorization actions.
Deciding to participate in the Impact Programme was an obvious next step for the father and daughter team. Already familiar with measuring their environmental impact, they are counting on the Programme to give them the necessary tools to calculate their social impact. To help them do this, the Impact Programme coaches don’t hesitate to challenge them. “We have a lot of potential, but our ideas get easily scattered. We need to be more focused. Our coaches force us to make decisions and implement strategies that will have long-lasting impact.”
Stalem will continue to build on its unique strengths: small scale, locally targeted, and with intimate knowledge of and close proximity to the businesses it represents. “They are more than just businesses and shopkeepers to us. We know their names, their families, their stories,” says Nour. While Stalem may be an association of shopkeepers on paper, it is ultimately a group of people who want to move forward together under a common vision. “Beyond reinventing waste management, we are reinventing the essence of our association.