They could have given up after the fire which devastated the vast 1,000 m2 premises rented since 2019 in Mellac in the Kervidanou area on November 7. “The parts that were not destroyed by the fire were damaged by smoke, water and asbestos fumes,” recalls Catherine Ponceaux, coordination assistant at Retritout. “It was an ideally located site, visible from the road leading to Riec-sur-Bélon and with ample parking. Now we have nothing,” confides a volunteer. But a week after the disaster, probably of accidental origin (the investigation is still in progress) and before the demolition of the building, the time is no longer for tears but for the rebound and the resumption of recycling activity. . “This event brought the team of volunteers together. They are determined to continue. It was their home. Moreover, some of them have decided to join the board of directors to participate in decisions and we have recorded several new memberships,” underlines Hélène Denoix, one of the members of the board of directors.
Two temporary fallback solutions
Six of the seven Retritout employees have also chosen to continue the adventure, even if they are placed on partial activity for three months or more. Everyone is ready to roll up their sleeves to celebrate the association's tenth anniversary next year in another location. Meetings take place in the office and the room made available by the Quimperlé community at the Maison de l'Économie until January 31. The outpouring of solidarity has gone beyond just the circle of members. In addition to the support of the community of municipalities, it is measured by the amount of the prize pool opened online (€2,300). If all the material stored and ready for resale has been destroyed, they are all ready to roll up their sleeves and restart recycling. “We could replenish our stock in two weeks,” says Catherine Ponceaux. We still need to find premises to house the reuse activity and the sales store. “We have already found two temporary fallback solutions in the Kervidanou area. The first is a premises of 820 m2, smaller than the previous one and more expensive, and for the moment, without authorization to receive the public. The second is even smaller (320 m2), but the rent is lower and it can already receive the public,” lists Vincent Maluvre, member of the board of directors.
A pre-Christmas support sale
In an emergency, the teams are working on a short-term fallback solution while considering a long-term project. “We would like to own our premises. And if it is possible to build it near the Quimperlé recycling center where we collect objects once a week (1),” indicate those responsible. “We can also consider continuing our activity on several sites. Moreover, we already have a shed in Baye where we store recovered gardening equipment, particularly mowers. We are open to all solutions if individuals have places to offer us,” they add. If reuse – after recovery, sorting, cleaning, overhaul or repair – is the main activity, Retritout is also a social actor. “We create links with the various workshops offered to the public,” recalls the large team which is busy preparing an exceptional support sale before Christmas, the first major meeting before reinstallation.
(1): Each week the recycling center processes three tonnes of objects recovered from the Quimperlé and Moëlan-sur-Mer recycling centers.
