A new French law requiring people to compost or sort biodegradable waste at home will come into force next year. Here’s how you can prepare for that change now.
According to France’s public service, all households must have a solution allowing them to sort their biodegradable waste from January 1st 2024. ,” reads France’s public service website. “Local authorities responsible for implementing this provision must offer them means of sorting at source, individually or collectively, such as separate bins for specific collection, and individual or collective composting.”
The objective is simple: to reduce the amount of household waste in landfills, often buried or burned, and thus decrease the country’s production of greenhouse gases.
Local councils across the south of France have been slow to prepare for the sweeping changes, which will affect all of France under the L541 -21-1 section of the Environmental Code introduced in 2020.
A number of collective composting systems have been opened recently in Nice, such as that of the Jardin Marshall and the Square Giordan, but many more will be needed if all residents are going to be able to comply with the new law. The challenge will be particularly felt in built-up residential areas and by those living in apartments without access to a garden or viable space for home-composting. A list of collective composting sites currently operational in the Alpes-Maritimes, run by Univalom, is available here.
For those with a garden, free composting systems are available through Univalom, as well as comprehensive information on the “do’s and don’t’s” of composting.
And if you still don’t know where to start, one excellent online resource is the enthusiastic ‘Compost Coach’ on Instagram. Known as Compostable Kate, she offers helpful advise on all manners of composting, from the recognisable composting bins to worm farms and Bokashi.
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Photo source: Edward Howell for Unsplash