Waste not

In readiness for some major changes this year 2023 saw our region ramp up its focus on the reduction and recovery of waste. It modernised its recycling centres, simplified the sorting of waste and promoted more recycling and composting, all the time reinforcing that ‘we all’ play a major role in what is required to be more green and spend less on waste management.

From January 1, 2024, French and European law actually made it compulsory to separate biowaste from household waste, so ideas were needed to achieve the aim. A simple fix, it seemed, was to make composters available to every household. We picked ours up at a local depot last year, and I have to say it’s going well.

To help with recycling, a government secondhand shop – Recyclerie de l'Orient – was set up in Vendeuvre, a small town about 20 minutes from us. It provides a second life to furniture, household items, toys, clothing etc.

There was also an initiative, in the run up to Christmas, of creating 28 collection points for old toys. This apparently resulted in 400kg of repurposed toys.

A project that happened throughout 2023, was the upgrading of our déchetterie’s (communal tips). We have access to three within a fifteen minute radius of us. All extremely clean with helpful staff. Nearly 34,000 visits were made to these 3 sites last year, which equates to about 4 per household, so it’s great to know they are well used. We certainly make regular visits, and have far exceeded that number thanks to a lot of garden waste.

By 2025, the aim for the region is to not exceed 56 kg/year/inhabitant of household waste and not exceed 200kg/year/inhabitant of packaging, paper and plastic.

It’s been a period of change for all, with adjustments to how everything is done, but by adapting we will all help achieve those targets.