"We sort half as well in the city as in the countryside"

Waste sorting is less developed in Ile-de-France than in the rest of the country -

• In 2019, in France, each inhabitant sorted an average of 70 kg of household and paper packaging, compared to 45.3 kg in Ile-de-France.

• Despite this delay, this figure nevertheless rose by 1.3%.

Cardboard, plastic and aluminum in the yellow bins, glass in green, the rest elsewhere.

And for the most applied, organic waste in compost.

If for some sorting is a reflex, almost automatic, it seems that this is not the case for all Ile-de-France residents.

According to figures released last week by Citéo, a non-profit company specializing in reducing the impact of waste, in 2019, each inhabitant of the region sorted an average of 45.3 kg of household and paper packaging, against 70 kg nationally.

How is such a delay analyzed?

Explanations with Anne-Sophie Louvel, director of the “selective collection and territories” service at Citéo.

How do you explain that Ile-de-France residents are such bad pupils when it comes to sorting?

We sort half as well in the city than in the countryside even though we consume more.

Firstly, because the accommodation is smaller, and in particular the kitchens: there is therefore less space to install several bins.

The premises of the building itself are not always appropriate.

And then the habits are different: consumption is more nomadic, we are going to eat a sandwich outside, sorting in the public space works less well.

We also notice that the social pressure on this issue is less strong because in big cities, people know each other less, the gaze of the neighbor is less important.

Are there differences within the region on this issue?

Sorting is a little better respected in the departments of the outer suburbs, such as Yvelines, Essonne or Seine-et-Marne, perhaps precisely because some areas are more rural.

The difference is not very marked, however, we are far from the regions at the top of the ranking and especially Brittany with nearly 75 kg per inhabitant.

We can nevertheless note that progress is taking place from year to year: between 2018 and 2019, the number of kilos of sorted household waste increased by 1.3% in Ile-de-France.

How to encourage Ile-de-France residents to sort their waste more?

By simplifying the sorting process as much as possible.

Today, from one department to another and even from one city to another, we cannot throw the same thing in the yellow trash, especially plastic.

In Paris and Essonne, people put cardboard, plastic bottles, but also pots of yogurt, trays of ham or meat in the yellow bin.

In other departments, it varies from one city to another.

This extension of sorting instructions will be a legal obligation on December 31, 2020, but it allows us to make active communication, to go and find new sorters and therefore new tonnes of waste.

Has containment had an effect on sorting?

At the very start of the first confinement, in particular, did the closure of many sorting centers demobilize some of the most aware citizens?

It was our fear at the very beginning.

We asked the communities not to communicate on it so that the inhabitants do not change their habits, the gesture absolutely had to continue.

Especially since the difficulties encountered during the first confinement did not last very long, the sorting centers had to be organized.

Fortunately, we have not noticed a decline in sorting, on the contrary, the French were at home, they were able to measure what they consumed ... New questions have emerged, in particular on the question of masks: they are therefore not recyclable. do not go in the yellow trash.

Many French people are wrong and this is a real problem for us, not only on the sorting chain but for the health of those who work there.

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