• Since last year, the ecological municipality of Strasbourg has been charging 30 euros to each Strasbourg association which organizes a collection of Christmas trees.

    A sum that can be exempted on simple request.

  • This sum was never requested by the previous municipalities.

  • "It's the law," retorts deputy mayor Pierre Ozenne.

    Without denying that certain misunderstandings may have arisen with neighborhood associations.

Some have already thrown it out the window.

Others, more civilized, have cut up their Christmas tree then put it in a trash can or dropped it off at the recycling center.

Finally, the most patient will throw it in a dumpster specially installed near their home for the occasion.

From this weekend, these containers will be out everywhere in Strasbourg.

In many neighborhoods, associations have become accustomed to participating in their own way in the recycling of conifers.

"It allows people not to get rid of it anywhere, it creates social ties since we offer mulled wine and in addition, we organize a collection of donations which can bring in up to €800", explains Claudine Bastien.

The president of "Stra.ce" will still be present alongside other volunteers at Place Kléber on Saturday, for the twelfth collection in a row of her association.



Before receiving a painful in the coming weeks for "occupation of the public domain"?

It was the novelty of last year, already, with an amount of 30 euros claimed.

“We had received the decree and a letter announcing it, but never an invoice, so we did not pay, unlike others”, laughs the resident of downtown Strasbourg.

“But it sure caught our attention, whereas the dumpsters had until then been graciously put in place…”

" It's the law !

“, retorts for his part Pierre Ozenne, deputy mayor in charge in particular of shared public spaces.

“Any occupation of the public domain is subject to a fee and it is up to us to define the amount.

We try to be as rigorous as possible, which is normal for a community.

The elected official also indicates that this sum can then be reimbursed to associations that request it.

“It is clearly written with the decree that one can request exemptions from the amount which must be validated by the Municipal Council.

This was item 9 during the November 7 meeting and around fifty requests were accepted.

I am willing to hear that the procedure is time and energy consuming, but, I repeat, we are simply applying the law.

»

"We did not pay the bill last year"

This does not prevent certain misunderstandings with neighborhood associations.

As with the Ganzau educational farm.

“We didn't pay the bill last year for the fir skips,” says Martine Burgmann, not really knowing if the procedure is over.

But she is angry with the municipality for another reason: the date of the conifer collection.

“We always put it on the first Sunday in January, but there, we were told that it was impossible so it will be the 14th. It's a bad idea because people will have already gotten rid of their tree…”

In the neighboring district of Neudorf, there will be no containers installed on the market square.

The local association (APSANe) has completely given up on it, the fault of an even deeper conflict with the environmentalist majority.

“For the 'Christmas Workshops' that we organize every year for children, for the first time we were made to pay for the rental of the hall as if we were shopkeepers.

As a result, we were in deficit of 1,200 euros, ”laments President Mirelle Sturm.

“It was the straw that broke the camel's back, after the invoicing of fir skips, last year.

We saw red and decided to stop everything.

»

On December 19, she wrote a letter to Mayor Jeanne Barseghian.

Result ?

“I had a call from the neighborhood deputy and I feel that there has been a back-pedalling since.

It's a little late all the same: we would have liked more dialogue before.

Alerted on the subject, Pierre Ozenne does not deny that communication has not always been clear.

Before insisting one last time: “It's not to annoy or nitpick that we're doing this, it's to avoid legal problems.

»


Company

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Miscellaneous facts

Bas-Rhin: Razor blades hung on dog sausages

  • Great East

  • Strasbourg

  • Jeanne Barsegian

  • Christmas tree

  • Recycling