Vaud wants to become a pioneer canton in the circular economy. The counter-project to the government’s cantonal initiative “Save the Mormont” proposes to enshrine this principle in the Constitution. At the same time, the protection of the hill will be reinforced and extended.
It was the State Councilor in charge of the Environment Vassilis Venizelos who presented to the press on Thursday both the direct counter-project – “circular economy” component – and an indirect counter-project – “site protection” component of Mormont”. The goal is for the circular economy to ultimately become “mainstream”, summarized the minister.
“It’s an immense but exciting challenge,” he noted. It is about “accelerating the pace in this area and generalizing the practice of recycling and reuse. We must reverse the trend of finite resources,” he said. Overall objective, according to him: to respond to the intersecting challenges of preserving natural resources and the fight against climate change.
Think “reversible construction”
The inclusion of the principle of the circular economy in the Vaud Constitution is understood in the broad sense and not only in construction. This new constitutional article will have to be approved by the people, with a vote envisaged between autumn 2025 and early 2026, according to Vassilis Venizelos.
Concretely, this article entrusts the State and municipalities with the task of developing the circular economy in their public policies. The idea is to promote the use of environmentally friendly materials, particularly in construction, avoiding the production of waste, and encouraging the sharing, reuse, repair, renovation and recycling of materials and goods.
Taking the example of a building to be destroyed, we speak of “selective destruction” to systematically reuse different materials still in good condition. As a corollary, this implies “building in a reversible manner”, explained in substance Renaud Marcelpoix, head of the Geology, soils, waste and groundwater division at the Department of the Environment (DJES).
More expansion possible
The other announcement of the day is to give the Mormont site enhanced protection status. The Council of State is therefore proposing an indirect counter-project to the initiative in the form of a modification of the law on the protection of natural and landscaped heritage (LPrPNP). This provides for the adoption of a new Mormont cantonal allocation plan (PAC), similar to the existing provisions for the Venoge river.
As a reminder, the popular initiative “Save the Mormont” calls for this protection to be enshrined in the Constitution.
>> Read about it: A popular initiative wants to save Mormont Hill (VD)
The Mormont hill and its adjoining natural environments will thus be protected, in particular for their key role in the cantonal ecological infrastructure and the conservation of archaeological and historical heritage. The new legal provisions also specify that the extraction of resources from the site can continue only within the areas already authorized, with no possible extension.
For the sake of consistency, the Council of State will also propose to the Grand Council to adopt a modification of the Quarry Master Plan restricting the extraction perimeters to those already authorized (Mormont 6 and Birette). “This should allow exploitation of the site until around 2060,” said Sébastien Beuchat, director of heritage and natural resources within the DJES.
>> Read also: Counter-project of the Vaud State Council to the “Save the Mormont” initiative
ats/miro
