interview
The civic day, dedicated to collection, sorting and cleanliness, is organized over two days in Verrières: it will take place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September.
Dominique Guyader, vice-president of the council of elders, a municipal consultative body, is developing the programme.
What are the main new features of this edition?
Dominique Guyader: “The civic day had been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, the municipality is delighted to relaunch the initiative with a more ambitious project, in partnership with the Pass’Âge association and the council of elders. The idea is to mark the occasion with a strong event, such as the play “Le tri”, which will be performed by the actress Clémentine Jeuland, with the participation of around ten young people from the college and the public.”
The program is diversified: what are the objectives behind this multiple approach?
“We designed it to reach as many people as possible, because it is difficult to mobilize those who are often the most concerned by the problems we are trying to solve, such as urban cleanliness. The idea is to play on several levels: inform, act and celebrate together. For example, on Friday evening, we are organizing an exhibition dedicated to waste treatment, a children’s drawing competition organized by Pass’Âge, and of course, the play to relaunch awareness on waste sorting in a fun way. Saturday morning, it’s time for action with the collection of waste in the town. We will end with a festive moment around a picnic with music. It is this diversity that, we hope, will allow us to reach as many citizens as possible. Also, I went to meet shopkeepers and schoolchildren.”
How do you plan to act in the longer term to maintain this civic dynamic?
“We plan to appoint ambassadors next spring who will go out to meet residents, talk directly with them and explain why it is essential to manage waste. This will allow us to create a more direct link and, we hope, to change behaviors in a lasting way. The citizen day is just a starting point.”
