Director and environmental activist, Olivier Dubuquoy has, for more than ten years, fought against “red mud”, these polluting discharges dumped by companies: “Alumina is used in particular in the arms industry, for shielding.
At high temperatures, it is therefore extracted and a waste called “red sludge” is generated which is very toxic for the environment and local residents,” he explains.
It was on the strength of this observation that he and other activists decided, in 2019, to carry out a punch action: "we took red mud and went to dump it in front of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, in Paris , and in front of the American investment fund which owned Alteo, the industrialist who exploits these lands”, recalls Olivier Dubuquoy.
“It remains a half-hearted victory”
“This action made it possible to put an end to this fight and we are happy that today there is no more red mud on this territory….
even if the pollution remains, continues Olivier Dubuquoy.
So it remains a half-hearted victory.
Especially since the polluted places are now covered with different materials: a kind of geotextile, plastic sheeting, gravel, earth.
This millefeuille has only succeeded in making the pollution invisible.
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OUR “RED MUD” FILE
For Olivier Dubuquoy, the ideal would be to completely close the place so that it is no longer accessible to the public, but also to reuse it for a new activity.
“What we have been advocating for a long time is that in place of this red mud, a solar park should be erected to produce energy.
Good news: the current manufacturer has validated this proposal and has undertaken to build a solar park on the site.
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This article is produced by Brut and hosted by 20 Minutes.
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