Last October, large-scale floods caused extensive damage in the Rhône. Particularly affected, the town of Givors, south of Lyon, faced an unprecedented quantity of waste. Even today, bulky items remain stored on land that looks like a landfill.
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On October 17, 2024, within a few hours, a depression swept the country. In Lyon, the southern municipalities were particularly impacted, with almost 100 mm of water in 24 hours.
In Givors, the town center and the shopping center found themselves under muddy waters. The current carrying everything in its path. “An exceptional, unprecedented flood”, according to the assistant in charge of waste at the metropolis of Lyon.
Very quickly, we had to face the emergency. Keep people, but also property, safe. Thousands of pieces of waste were swept away by the fury of the waters. They found themselves scattered all over the place.
Nearly 8,000 m³ of waste would still be stored in illegal landfills.
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© Bénédicte Millaud, France 3 Rhône-Alpes
A few days later, individuals cleared their homes. The metropolis therefore decided “temporarily”the opening of two sites to receive bulky items. Since then, one area has been completely cleaned, but another continues to receive trash.
People have gotten into the habit of continuing to dump their waste. But we would like to point out that these lands had a temporary vocation to manage the flood waste emergency.
Isabelle Petiot, vice-president responsible for waste reduction – Métropole de Lyon
Nearly 8,000 m³ of bulky items were piled up. On a field opposite the Palais des Sports, there are still many left. Faced with a temporary situation that lasts, residents saw this as an opportunity to get rid of their undesirable effects. The metropolis reminds that the land is now prohibited from access. “It takes time to evacuate”we still insist. “We need to find qualified service providers to evacuate, sort and recycle everything”explains Isabelle Petiot.
Removal operations should begin in a few weeks. The amount is estimated at 500,000 euros, half covered by the State and the other half by the metropolis and municipality of Givors.
The communities invite the inhabitants of Givors to go to the neighboring Grigny-sur-Rhône recycling center.
