The network of “ressourceries" in France has existed since the 2000s. It has grown significantly over the last decade and now intends to become a key stage in the management and treatment of waste.
Our consumption practices have a direct and disastrous impact on the environment. We consider Earth as a resource like any other. Every year, humanity is consuming more and more of the resources that the Earth can renew in a year. We therefore live "on credit" and this debt is growing. And yet! French people produce an average of 568 kilos of waste per person per year. An enormous amount that often ends up in landfills (28%) and incineration (31%).
Welcome to Montgeron, one of the 150 “ressourceries” in France.
Created in 2000, the network of ressourceries quickly grew from 9 to 150 organizations. Today, it is seeking to become a major step forward in the management and treatment of waste. “Resourceries” base their model on recycling and reuse (upcycling). The director of the Montgeron resourcery defines it as "an alternative waste treatment center". The resourceries collect domestic waste for repair, transformation and resale. The amount of waste reused and recovered in this way has increased from 10,000 metric tons in 2003 to 40,800 metric tons in 2016.
It is a sustainable model since the resource centers generate an average value of €1,559 per ton of waste collected. The objects are sold at an affordable price in order to benefit to as many people as possible.
