Recycling: bio-waste from French households enters the sorting dance
In Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department, individuals sort and store their leftover meals and small plant debris in air-permeable paper bags placed in a pre-collection bucket. They then place these filled bags in an individual 60 liter bin or in one of the voluntary drop-off points.
Bio-waste, which includes food waste, represents 30% of household waste, and must be sorted at the source, in view to its recovery, mandatory from January 1, 2024.[1]
Food waste, including peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, animal bones and fish bones, as well as green waste, i.e. more than 80 kilos of bio-waste per year per French person, will soon no longer have their place in the gray trash can, this container dedicated to classic household waste. From January 1, 2024, in application of the law relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy (Agec law[2]), each household in France must have a sorting solution at the source, compost waste bin or waste sorting bin, individual or near its home.
“Among biowaste, we find green waste from garden maintenance, such as dead leaves and lawn mowing, for which collection solutions and voluntary drop-off points already exist. On the other hand, food waste, that contains a lot of water, which makes its incineration very energy intensive, requires specific collection and recovery systems,” explains Marie Boursier, engineer in the circular economy and waste at the Ademe[3] Ile-de-France division.
And the expert in bio-waste and food waste adds that these organic materials, rich in fertilising elements, “constitute an important resource at a time when soils are becoming poorer”.
Delay of the municipal communities
The obligation to recover biowaste is not new, but until now it only concerned professionals: since 2012, only the largest of them (generating more than 120 tonnes of biowaste per year) were concerned; since 2016, those which produce more than 10 tonnes of bio-waste per year were also involved; a threshold that was lowered to 5 tonnes annually since January 1, 2023. “From 2024, this will be tightened by involving all producers: canteens, restaurants, markets, retirement homes, craftsmen, grocery stores, etc. and households,” indicates Marie Boursier , specifying that it is up to the municipal communities to “offer composting or collection systems for households”.
In a majority of communities (territorial public establishments, communities of municipalities, urban communities, metropolises, etc.), it is still time to reflect on the types of solutions that will be deployed: voluntary drop-off points, door-to-door collection via an additional bin, individual or collective composters… Enough to make Marie Boursier say that “a majority of communities risk being late”.
“The cost analyses of each scenario, the evaluation of the tonnages which could thus be valorised and the social impact studies, particularly on employment, take time, which suggests that there will not be a solution for every French person from December 31, 2023 on,” she said.
Sharing of public funding
Especially since logistical and financial questions are added to these reflections. “Most communities intend to ensure that collection trucks do not increase pollution and, moreover, that there will be no additional costs for those administered,” points out Marie Boursier, referring to various possible aids, including those of Ademe, regional councils, processing unions… “Knowing that the accumulation of public funding cannot exceed 80%, the remaining 20% are to be financed by the community itself,” she concludes.
Julie Le Bolzer. Recyclage : les biodéchets des ménages français entrent dans la valse du tri, in: Les Echos, 11-12-2023, https://www.lesechos.fr/thema/articles/recyclage-les-biodechets-des-menages-francais-entrent-dans-la-valse-du-tri-2040491
[1] From January 1, 2024, in accordance with European law and the 2020 French anti-waste law, the sorting of bio-waste will be generalized and will concern all professionals and individuals. This is why the French Government supports communities in implementing solutions for citizens, and reminds professionals of their obligations. https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/biodechets
[2] The French law on the fight against waste and the circular economy (Agec) sets a collection rate target for recycling plastic beverage bottles of 77% in 2025 and 90% in 2029. Ambitious targets with regard to the rate collection, which is around 59%. This means that 41% of the 315,000 tonnes of plastic bottles consumed per year end up in the household waste bin (therefore incinerated or buried) or in wild dumps.. https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/editos-analyses/economie-circulaire-la-solution-de-la-consigne-plastique-1946930
[3] The Agence de la transition écologique. (ADEME, Agency for ecological transition) is a public agency under the joint authority of the Ministry for an Ecological Transition and the Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. At ADEME - The French Agency for Ecological Transition’s role is to mobilise citizens, economic actors and territories towards a fairer, more harmonious, low carbon and resource-efficient society. At every level, their expertise and forecasting capacities serve to guide and inform public policies. https://www.ademe.fr/en/about-ademe
