When 4 economics students are eager to move from theory to practice and create their start-up, it’s “Oust”. The principle: collections of recyclable waste that the company comes to collect directly from you. Regularly if you are a subscriber or occasionally to get rid of a particular object or empty an attic.
“At the beginning,” remembers François Jomini, one of the four co-founders, “we lived with our parents and we did the tours in their cars.” Time to save enough to buy your first vehicle and start standing on your own two feet.
I found the idea a bit bourgeois
7 years later, Oust has 5 utility vehicles which crisscross Broye and part of the Lake Geneva region. And 750 subscribers, individuals or businesses, who use its services. Among them Michelle, a resident of Pomy in the canton of Vaud. “The worst thing for me,” testifies this convinced customer, “was the mental burden of going to the recycling center.” Obviously, she was the one who always stuck to it in the family. Until she saw a green and black van at her neighbors’ house. The concept immediately appealed to her but she initially hesitated: “I found the idea a bit ‘bourgeois’, having others take my waste to the recycling center” she laughs. But since then, she has put her preconceptions aside and freed her mind from this chore.
Develop and move “cleanly”
For Malek and his neighbor Annick, it’s a different story. Both have reduced mobility and even if they live in an adapted housing estate in Payerne, taking their recyclables to the recycling center remains an impossible task. There are a few moloks near their building, but it’s not enough. For example, what should you do with scrap metal or even cat litter when they are soiled? With Oust, the two friends can get rid of their recyclables without having to call on relatives. So yes, it represents a budget. But reasonable considering the advantages.
The company would like to expand further, covering the whole of French-speaking Switzerland, within 2 to 3 years. And then we would also have to change this fleet of thermal vehicles, which is not very consistent with an ecological approach. “For the moment,” explains François Jomini, “there are a lot of constraints. Financial first and then the autonomy of clean vehicles is too low.” But I promise, he’s paying attention to everything that comes out on the market and will make the transition as soon as possible.
RadioFr. – Sarah Camporini
#Swiss
