Sorting of packaging has increased by 23% in one year and by 85% since 2021 in the Rhone Gard. The quantity of household waste collected has decreased by 19% in one year and by 50% since 2021. On the other hand, despite the measures taken by town halls, incivility persists.
It has been a year since the incentive fee came into force in the 44 municipalities of the Gard Rhone agglomeration, after a test year in 2023. The implementation of this system was and remains complicated for the Agglomeration and the mayors who must carry out educational work with those administered. For residents of the area, the management of these new rules is systematically described as disastrous, particularly in the town centers of Bagnols-sur-Cèze and Pont-Saint-Esprit. The two municipalities and their residents were not ready for such a change: the system was generalized while many collective homes were still not equipped with closed cubicles. As a result, the trash bins intended for residences were overflowing because passers-by threw away their bags without needing to use a badge. “There was a certain delay before the social landlords put things in placeconcedes Gérald Missour, vice-president of the Agglo, delegate for waste collection and the territorial project. Little by little, we have improvements. Any territory that implements incentive pricing goes through these moments which are not pleasant.”
488 fines for incivility in Bagnols
And it is true that for several months, the number of yellow and black bags illegally placed next to voluntary supplements has decreased. “There was also the work of the municipalities which was to verbalize. We regret it except that at a given moment, we communicate, we explain, it's hard to do more.” Between October 13, 2023 and December 31, 2024, 488 fines were issued in Bagnols-sur-Cèze for illegal deposits thanks to mobile cameras and on-site checks. Last year, from March to December, the City and the service provider Nicollin collected 547 tonnes of litter.
“The town hall is doing what it can, it’s not 100% its faultnuance also Christophe Prévost, manager of the Crêperie de la place. Before the incentive fee [RI]everything was going well. There, it's a mess, it's dirty, there's a problem. But it is the Bagnolais who make Bagnols life. They need to be more respectful of the rules.”
A 23% increase in sorting packaging
For the year 2024, 10,800 tonnes of household waste were collected in the territory of the Agglomeration, i.e. 19% less than in 2023 and almost 50% less than in 2021, “reference year because no communication on IR had yet been carried out”. The production of household waste per year and per inhabitant increased from 273 to 145 kg in one year. Packaging sorting has increased by 23% since 2023 and 85% since 2021. “The figures are very positiveunderlines Gérald Missour. This is the desired goal: to recover more recyclable material.” Thanks to these results, the collected household waste is “processed locally, mainly buried in Bellegarde”. Despite these “good results”the quality of sorting “leaves something to be desired”. “There are people of good faith who think they are sorting well but are unfortunately wrong.” For example, you should not nest your packages one inside the other in the yellow bag. If necessary, this requires the intervention of a person on the sorting platform. Poor sorting quality can quickly increase the bill.
“How is this fee an incentive?”
For some residents, the pricing of this system is not suitable. “I compost my bio-waste, I have a reasonable consumption pattern, so I only used three lifts in 2024Monique testifies. I pay the same price as for 15 tricks [soit le nombre de levées accordées dans les forfaits des foyers disposant d’un bac individuel]. How is this fee an incentive?” Response from the Agglo: “We think in terms of package. There are territories which have implemented a system based on weight and incivility has exploded. A system adapted to each individual or business does not exist. We have chosen the system which allows the most equity, and which meets four legislations. As a result, sorting better and moving towards zero waste to use as few lifts as possible costs the same price as using the number of lifts included in the package. Gérald Missour insists: “Perhaps at the beginning, the communication was misunderstood but this pricing is not just for household waste and yellow bags. I also pay for recycling centers, for green columns, paper, textiles …”
-The Agglo assures that if the territory had not switched to this system, the household waste collection tax would have exploded by 30% in 2024, as is the case in other territories. In the Rhone Gard, a reduction in the price scale is not on the agenda. Residents will pay the same price in 2025. On the other hand, Gérald Missour warns: “If there is still too much incivility or poor sorting, costs could increase.” Regarding the quality of sorting, the city will set up a communication campaign to present the right actions to adopt. To combat incivility, yellow bags will be identifiable in the coming months.
What about associations?
The Bagnols associations also had to ask themselves the question of managing their trash with the disappearance of neighborhood containers. “Each municipality has the freedom to manage as it wishes with the associations”indicates Gérald Missour. Some, housed in premises cleaned by municipal services, do not manage their waste. This is particularly the case of La Ligue contre le cancer, installed for several months in the former tourist office. Others, like the RCBM, received an invoice at the end of 2024. “It’s a fixed price, unlike individuals who pay according to the liftsindicate the leaders of the rugby club. We have a lot of waste between matches, events and training, the package is more suitable for us. But it is a cost that must now be included in the budget for the year. Before, we didn’t have taxes.”
A bill that increases when associations organize dance galas, shows or bodega which do not take place at the multicultural hall. They must rent containers for the day from the city. Some cheat and go directly through the Nicollin service provider to pay less…
From one trash can to another…
Restaurants: the bill is steep
Like all his counterparts, Jean-François Diaz, boss of O'Pauseto place Mallet in Bagnols, will pay €957 per year, this is the minimum package for professionals. “I am entitled to 188 openings per year. But we work 230 days [il est obligé de jeter chaque jour la poubelle]. The additional opening costs €6.” He has not yet paid his first invoice because the one he received included the maximum package, i.e. €2,243 (476 openings per year), which he contested. By adding the package of €957 and the additional levies, it could reach €1,259. He, like others, tries to juggle: several restaurateurs say that certain days, they take their trash bags home, where they pay the fee as individuals. Another restaurateur shares: “A thousand euros is a bit exaggerated. And again I'm lucky, I have a garden and chickens, so I bring all the bio-waste home with me.” A city center trader who does not produce household waste, only boxes and packaging, regrets: “We were not offered, as announced, a solution for collecting boxes.” Previously, boxes were collected twice a week in the old center. “For professionals, there should be a price adapted to each activity”suggests this trader.
Adjustments in Bagnols and Pont-Saint-Esprit
Implementing the incentive fee was complex for everyone, especially in cities. 2024 will have been a year where the municipalities of Bagnols and Pont-Saint-Esprit made adjustments. In Pont, the team that took charge in the spring took the waste issue head on: stories about trash cans and cleanliness crystallized many debates. She negotiated with the Agglo so that, in the summer of 2024, the yellow bags placed around the voluntary drop-off points will be collected every day, from Monday to Friday. “We negotiated to make it permanent”confides Bernard Seu, the mayor’s chief of staff. So this was the case during the end-of-year holidays. For black trash, it's more complicated. “At the start of the year, we are doing a test on a building, the Monplaisir residence, a very well managed co-ownershipexplains the assistant for cleanliness and roads Jérôme Carminati. The residents asked to switch from containers to the system of voluntary drop-off points (with badge). The Agglo proposed that this residence be tested for 30 liter bags (instead of 50). They will be entitled to more opening (to store less at home) for the same volume per year. If it works, we would like to generalize this system.”
