French village latest to end door-to-door rubbish collection

A village in southern France has become the latest to end door-to-door rubbish collections, to “reduce anti-social behaviour” such as fly-tipping, and people’s “failure to adhere” to the bin collection schedule.

Decazeville (and nearby Boisse-Penchot) in Aveyron (Occitanie) have installed voluntary collection points (points d’apport volontaire, PAV) for rubbish. This means residents now have to take their rubbish to these PAVs, rather than have it collected by rubbish truck.

The aim is to “improve quality of life” and “reduce anti-social behaviour”, because “some people were not adhering to the door-to-door schedule” that was in place before, said commune community president François Marty, to 20 Minutes.

“This collection method replaces door-to-door collection, which is being used less and less, with collection days rarely being respected,” said Decazeville Communauté to Centre Presse Aveyron. “The new collection method also makes it possible to streamline collection costs as part of the service's budgetary control, and improves the efficiency of the public service.”

In place since September 29, the new PAVs have already had a positive effect, one resident told La Dépêche, explaining that one street (rue Maruéjouls), which is usually littered with rubbish bags, is now “much more pleasant”.

“Putting this system in place is a very good thing,” she said.

The local authority invested €300,000 in the new bins, €220,000 for a skip, and €420,000 for a new rubbish truck, a total investment of almost €1 million.

The new bins in Decazeville are in addition to the 74 other collection points already in place across 31 communes in the department (including Viviez, Cransac-les-Thermes, Aubin, and Firmi).

Collection changes

It comes as increased numbers of communes across the country are ending home bin collections, with local authorities claiming that it improves waste and recycling sorting, is more cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly.

However, in some areas the changing system has prompted concerns from residents, and in February, a court rapporteur recommended that door-to-door rubbish collection should be reinstated in Dordogne, overturning the PAV system that had been implemented in 2023.

Read more: Letters: Waste collection in France needs a rethink 

Similarly, this month it emerged that rates for some waste collection (taxe d’ordures ménagères, TEOM) have risen greatly in some areas of France in the past five years, including by 94.1% in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany), by 54.9% in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône, PACA), and 49% in Reims (Marne, Grand Est).

Some French communes have already turned to cameras and AI to detect illegal fly tipping and poor waste sorting at communal rubbish bins, as well as detect the contents of bin bags.

Mayors have long been stepping up measures against illegal waste dumping, with many turning to social media to trace and ‘shame’ those who dump waste in nature or in banned areas.