for the inhabitants of these 53 municipalities, garbage collection is over

Faced with changes in household waste collection, municipalities in Gironde are resisting. They are contesting the end of door-to-door collection, replaced by collection points, which should have been put in place in January 2025.

They want to keep the garbage collectors, their truck and their bins. In these communes of Libournais and Cubzaguais, in Gironde, the threat of seeing daily life change looms over the inhabitants. “This Monday was the last tour of the garbage collectors. Except that we refused the collection points, so we don’t know how they plan to leave us without collection”says Jean-Franck Blanc, the mayor of Teuillac.

All managed by Smicval, the joint union in charge of waste collection, 53 municipalities have decided to protest against the installation of waste collection points. Of the 137 municipalities managed by the joint union, 38 others have obtained a moratorium to postpone the implementation of this system until the next municipal elections.

On the sides of the roads, signs flourished “Not at our place”. “We grouped together as mayors, we put on our scarves and we demonstrated. This reform will not see the light of day because the people of Libourne are not in favor of it”indicates Jean-Franck Blanc for his part. If the rebellion is also present, it is because these municipalities have seen the consequences of this change in neighboring towns.

In Saint-Savin, the system is put in place this Monday, January 20. From now on, each resident is equipped with a card which allows them to access all the Smicval collection points. “It allows the traps to be opened and people can deposit their sorted waste there: household waste, packaging and bio-waste, in their municipality or in neighboring municipalities”explains Alain Renard, mayor of Saint-Savin and vice-president of Smicval.

But already, the system is making people cringe.

It works half the time. When the trash cans are full, you cannot open the trapdoor. There are pockets everywhere.

A resident of Saint-Savin (Gironde)

about waste collection

This resident also fears that the system, currently free, will eventually become chargeable by limiting the number of bags thrown away.

For others, the problem lies in the commute. “When we work, we don't carry our bags around in the car all day. My nearest drop-off point is 3 km from my house. I can't go there on foot. I think of all the elderly people,” confides a fifty-year-old from Saint-Mariens.

Around the terminals, the question of sanitation also concerns residents. “This summer, when it's hot, you'll have to carry your bag every time. Otherwise how do we do it? Should we store it in the garage, with the smell and the risk of attracting pests?” blurted out a cyclist, visibly annoyed.

New constraints and a new organization that the union ensures is beneficial for their wallets. While the tax might not fall, the measure would make it possible to avoid “that its increase does not explode”. “This year, municipalities which were at collection points saw their tax increase by 0.3%. For the others, it was an increase of 7%,” assures Alain Renard, who refers this increase to the increase in state taxes.

The union also hopes to save money on travel. “With door-to-door, the trucks follow a circuit, whether there are full bins or not. There, the truck no longer has to move as much, explains the vice-president of Smicval. With just one driver, we can also do the same job as with three agents.”

According to the union, the method would also be effective in reducing costs. From 240 kg per inhabitant collected in municipalities door-to-door, the weight of household waste would have increased to 170 kg in those collected under the new regime.

We're not going to go back to the 1950s when people burned their trash.

Jean-Franck Blanc

Mayor of Teuillac

Figures that make the mayor of Teuillac smile, incredulous. “They say we're going to say half the garbage. But where will the other half go?he asks. We can clearly see elsewhere that people are going to drop off their bags in neighboring communities.”

In Teuillac, however, the councilor is not completely resistant to the proposal. “I want us to continue discussing to find a compromise with collection points, particularly in the city, and collections in rural areas.”, says Jean-Franck Blanc. The rebellious mayors want to file a dispute before the administrative court to request the annulment of the reform.