The death of the mayor of Signes, Jean-Mathieu Michel, on August 9, highlighted the recurring problem of wild dumps, especially in the Var. These represent everywhere a concern for the local authorities as well as for the national authorities, who are struggling to quantify the extent of this "real plague", according to the Secretary of State for the ecological transition, Brune Poirson. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe, a public institution) explained, in a summary published in February 2019, that "no exhaustive inventory of the situation of the deposits wild species exists on a national scale. "
The abandonment of waste - cigarette butts, construction waste, green waste and other bulky - are scattered on the French territory. On a map, the association Stop dumps saves samples of these dumps in the open air in Aix-en-Provence, Le Havre, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Strasbourg, not forgetting in the Paris region ... The whole of French territory is affected by the wild deposits, which cost the communities between 340 and 420 million euros per year. However, there are more than 4,500 waste collection centers dedicated to the collection and sorting of waste.
"Managing waste properly, that is to say by distinguishing between hazardous and non-hazardous materials, has a cost," says Helder de Oliveira, director of the Île-de-France Regional Waste Observatory, contacted by France 24. For building professionals, this cost varies according to the materials they bring and the place they go to. In a forty or so professional waste disposal centers located in Ile-de-France, for example, one ton of rubble is invoiced from 12 euros, one tonne of green waste from 55 euros and one tonne of ordinary industrial waste (scrap, glass, wood, plastics ...) from 96 euros.
At the origin of wild deposits, a cost and constraints
The cost of waste treatment can quickly be an additional cost for professionals working on small building sites. "They are very constrained financially, with extremely tight estimates, in a sector where there is a lot of competition", according to Helder de Oliveira. "So it's easier today to dump litter in nature quietly than to handle it properly."
The financial explanation is not the only cause that can explain the wild deposits in France. Several other constraints can also lead professionals not to go through the waste box. "When you come out of a small yard late at night," says Helder de Oliveira, "make an extra effort by going several kilometers to drop your waste into a professional outlet that may be closed (due to opening hours). poorly adapted to construction schedules, Ed.), it's complicated. "
Despite these constraints, which are all possible explanations for the formation of wild deposits on roadsides or at the edges of fields, illegal dumping of waste is not the sole fact of building professionals. According to the local authorities surveyed by Ademe, the latter represent "a quarter of the depositors". The others are "for a third of the inhabitants of the territory" but also "tourists or for many of the inhabitants of neighboring communities".
However, waste disposal centers are often free of charge for individuals residing in the municipality where the legal deposits of waste are located. Ademe explains that "generally speaking, the persons (local authorities) questioned consider that this is an incivility of the depositors who, in the absence of sanctions, are not pushed to act otherwise ".
"Four levers to fight" against illegal dumps
In case of wild deposit, individuals face a fine of 68 euros, and up to 1500 euros in rare cases. Professionals, meanwhile, risk up to 75,000 euros in fines and two years in prison. In spite of the fact that the law does not seem to be a deterrent, in recent years communities have increased initiatives to combat illegal waste disposal.
In Aulnay-sous-Bois, a brigade dedicated to wild deposits was created in 2014 "to stem this phenomenon". An abandoned trash can on a sidewalk of the city, whose owner is subsequently identified, can henceforth be worth to the latter a fine of at least 150 euros. Other actions are more expeditious: in 2017, the mayor of Vélizy-Villacoublay recovered rubbish deposited illegally on a building site of his commune and brought them back to the inhabitant who had gotten rid of it.
Sanctions are part of the "four levers to operate at the same time" to fight against wild deposits, according to Helder de Oliveira. "It also requires communication, financial incentive (offer an efficient service and the cheapest possible for professionals, Ed) and ergonomics, ie enough outlets with correct schedules so that people can easily dispose of waste every day. "
At the end of August, Brune Poirson will organize a meeting with construction professionals, professional organizations representing artisans, elected officials and parliamentarians. The goal, according to the Secretary of State for the Ecological Transition, will be "the fastest possible implementation of the provisions of the anti-dumping law on the wild dumping component".