Councils in France are the last in line for cashing in on household waste.

Unofficial scrap dealers get richest pickings from items left out for collection, forcing city councils to change strategy

Furniture in good condition is often scavenged before French waste collectors can get to it. Photograph: Alamy.

Every year Paris city council collects 90,000 tonnes in bulky household waste, including some 43,000 sofas, 930 stoves and 4,600 dishwashers. But the return on this service is very poor as unofficial scrap dealing becomes more common. Growing numbers of bounty hunters and semi-professionals are scouring the streets in search of valuable goods, before the council trucks have time to collect them. In France there is no law against picking up waste on the public highway. Anywhere else it counts as theft.

Some categories of inorganic waste, which cannot be picked up by the usual vehicles due to size or weight, have almost completely disappeared, upsetting the business model underpinning waste disposal systems. "Items of furniture in good condition no longer get as far as our trucks," an official at Paris city council explains. "Most of what we collect cannot be used. It's just rubbish."

According to the most recent available figures, 86% of bulky items collected in the city is "mixed waste", which is hard to process. The rest is timber (5%), metal (3%), electrical or electronic waste (2%), rubble (2%) and paper (1%).

In Rennes, Brittany, the council trucks pick up mainly old mattresses, beds and scraps of plywood furniture. In 2012 they collected almost 600 tonnes of large waste, either by appointment, through special neighbourhood schemes or from illegal tips.

"Wooden pallets soon vanish from the roadside, much as metal and cartons," says Fabien Robin, head of waste collection at Rennes metropolitan council. "Timber sells well or can be used for heating. Metal is recovered for resale to scrap dealers."

The council, which set up a system for collecting cardboard once a week at an appointed time, soon realised that this material was popular too. "A large share of the potential tonnage disappeared. Semi-professional scavengers were helping themselves before the contractor got there," Robin explains. As the firm was paid according to the weight it collected, this posed a problem.

At first sight this sudden interest in bulky waste might seem providential. With the drop in the volume of waste collected, local councils should be able to cut the cost of the service. But in practice things are not that simple. In the Rennes metropolitan area a third of all the appointments made to recover large items are fruitless, the relevant goods having already vanished when the vehicle turns up. This obviously entails unwanted expense.

Another problem is that the remaining bulky waste is more difficult to recover or recycle. Lille metropolitan council takes care of waste disposal for the 85 municipalities it comprises. Large items amount to 62,000 tonnes a year. The council has recently introduced a new system to cut costs. "We're gradually replacing monthly door-to-door collections, which have been in force for years, with an appointment-based approach," says Denis Castelain, the metropolitan council's senior vice-president in charge of urban ecology.

The new system, which has been adopted by almost half the municipalities, is producing much better results, particularly in terms of recovery. Up to 40% of bulky waste is either reused or recycled, compared with only 10% before. "Residents who call us must be present when we collect their large items," Castelain adds. "That way, our operators don't go out for nothing. It's also an opportunity for a bit of education, explaining what sort of objects qualify and telling them about existing waste collection centres."

A further advantage to the new approach is that it involves less cleaning up afterwards. With the old system, "there was a steady stream of scavengers who would pick up anything of value", Castelain asserts. "Not only were we left with waste of little value, but above all it was scattered all over the place and we had to tidy up."

Household waste disposal is a complex issue and urban authorities are increasingly looking for new ways of coping with bulky items. Many are keen to encourage the use of waste collection centres, with residents bringing in unwanted goods themselves as and when necessary. This costs half as much as door-to-door collection, even if it does deprive scavengers of their main source of supply.

This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

THE president of France, François Hollande, announced his separation last night from Valérie Trierweiler, the temperamental first lady, after revelations that he has been having an affair with an actress.

The confirmation of a split from Trierweiler opened the latest act in a bedroom farce that has riveted France since a magazine published photographs two weeks ago of the president visiting Julie Gayet, a 41-year-old actress.

"I am making it known that I have put an end to the life in common that I was sharing with Valérie Trierweiler," the president said in his statement to the official French news agency, adding that he was expressing himself as a "private citizen" rather than a head of state because it was a matter relating to his private life.

Hollande was apparently never enthusiastic about having a first lady: voters elect a presidential candidate, not a couple, he argued. A poll last week showed that a majority of the public (54%) felt the same way. This may have sealed the fate of la première dame. She appears to be heading to the guillotine.

Article originally appeared in "The Sunday Times" on 26.01.2014 - Read the full article here.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

I thought the French government had introduced a law requiring motorists to have a breathalyser with them at all times, but my French friends tell me this is not the case. When I consulted the AA at Eurotunnel, however, I was told it is still a requirement. Who is right? WL, Tunbridge Wells.

The truth lies between the two. The law states that all drivers in France — including visitors — have to carry at least one fully functioning and in-date breathalyser, known in French as an "éthylotest".

In practice this means at least two testers on board, because they are single-use devices, so when one has been used, another must be on board to allow the journey to be continued lawfully. At present, however, there is no penalty for those who break the law.

The fine was going to be a mere €11 (£9) but there was stiff opposition to the law, not least because several independent magazine tests suggested that many breathalysers were inaccurate. The French government has indefinitely postponed enforcement but to save face has left the law in place. The outcome is that while drivers are required to have a working breathalyser on board, there is no consequence if they don’t.

In France breathalysers are commonly available for the price of €2 for two, so it’s not a bad idea to pick up a pack next time you are there — should you be stopped by the gendarmes you will at least be seen to be complying with road rules.

Note that the maximum permitted concentration of alcohol in the blood of drivers on French roads is 0.5mg/ml, as opposed to the UK’s considerably more tolerant 0.8mg/ml. 

Article originally appeared in "The Sunday Times" Driving supplement.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Did you know you can get half price "France" Calendars here...

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

With the Christmas approaching, sellers often wonder if they should keep their properties on the market or take them off? Or if they haven't put the property on the market yet, should they wait until the New Year? maybe hold off until spring? - when is a good time to sell?

It used to be that you shouldn't even try to sell your home during the winter especially around Christmas. Potential homebuyers were too busy attending parties, cooking meals, buying presents or planning the festivities, there just isn't enough time to drive around looking at properties.

But the INTERNET, Smart-phones, iPads and Tablets are all part of this new "always-on" lifestyle, the old thinking isn't relevant anymore. The reality is - the home-buying / property-hunting season is now all year round.

Here are 3 reasons why you should consider listing your home for sale during the festive season, or even in January.

1. Today's buyers never stop looking online: Serious buyers are always looking and Christmas is no exception. Checking the latest listings on a mobile app before bed or while waiting in a queue or on the train to work, people don't shift into holiday mode until the last minute. Even during the holiday break we get many enquiries, Boxing day is one of our busiest days for new enquiries!

2. Property available (if you are selling this is your competition) is less, despite the above many sellers still believe buyers can't be bothered to look for a home around December, January and February. Sellers who have had their homes on the market often take them off during this period. The net effect is that a good stock of houses often reduces this time of year, less competition for sellers, at a time when motivated buyers are out there looking is the perfect combination for a sale!

3. Real 'ready to buy' property hunters are looking to view property regardless of what time of year it is.

Your Property not selling?

Now is the time to lower the price or change your strategy - If your property has been on the market for months, most buyers will see it as stale or overpriced and disregard it even if the competition is sparse. It is a good time to take action. Reducing the price might be what's needed to sell your home. A 'Reduction' flag on your listing attracts attention, we see these listings get up to around 30% more 'hits' than the week before.

If you received lower offers early on but were not ready to accept them, or you keep getting the same feedback, this is a good time to show everyone that you are listening and are serious about selling.

But before you make any big changes, talk it over with us.

Don't want to be bothered during the festive season?

Then list your property in January: the thought of keeping the house clean, going out to accommodate last-minute viewings can be a hassle. If so, consider listing your property after New Year's Day but talk to us now so we can get things organised so you can... hit the floor running!

It may be cold in most places in January, the leaves are off the trees and landscaping is dead. Many sellers wait until the spring instead, a more conventional time to sell BUT we know that 'serious' buyers like to see property and areas where they plan to live in at the worst time of year! why? well they figure that if they like it on a cold, wet and miserable January day then it must be paradise in July with the sun beating down!

Some buyers are also motivated to search for a home in January because of year-end tax planning.

Whatever the buyers' motivation, for sellers it means one thing: Demand for homes can increase at a time when property stock is traditionally low and that means if you're ready to sell, you'll have an even more "captive" audience during the changeover from one year to the next and all the way through January than at any other time of the year.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.